


All I Wanna Do

by raug_moss



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Curse, F/F, Femslash, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2015-04-09
Packaged: 2018-01-09 01:07:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 74,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1139640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raug_moss/pseuds/raug_moss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was a rainy night when she came into sight, standing by the road, no umbrella, no coat. So I pulled up alongside and I offered her a ride. / SwanQueen / Regina didn't plan on sleeping with the blonde stranger after knowing her for mere hours, but even less did she plan on falling for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All I Wanna Do

**Author's Note:**

> my first song fic ever. I heard ‘All I wanna do is make love to you’ by Halestorm and simply couldn’t resist writing. inspiration for this comes solely from Halestorm’s amazing cover version of the song. enjoy and leave a comment.

_It was a rainy night_   
_When he came into sight,_   
_Standing by the road,_   
_No umbrella, no coat._   
_So I pulled up alongside_   
_And I offered him a ride._   
_He accepted with a smile,_   
_So we drove for a while._   
_I didn’t ask him his name,_   
_This lonely boy in the rain._   
_Fate, tell me it’s right,_   
_Is this love at first sight?_   
_Please don’t make it wrong,_   
_Just stay for the night._   
  
_All I wanna do is make love to you_   
_Say you will_   
_You want me too_   
_All I wanna do is make love to you_   
_I’ve got lovin’ arms to hold on to_

 

It was raining, or more like pouring. The rain was coming down so hard Regina could barely see the road. Her windshield wipers couldn’t keep up with the rivers rushing down her car. She had to drive slowly because she feared that the tires might give out under this onslaught of weather conditions. The last thing she needed was to end up in a ditch by the side of the road when Henry was waiting for her to get home from her trip to Boston.

Her car was the only one on the broad street, leading her through a forested part of the country. No one wanted to go out into this weather and she couldn’t blame the people for staying home, but her business meeting would’ve been much more successful if everyone had actually attended. She would let them know how much she hated being stood up.

 

At least she’d finally managed to have that meeting with her lawyer in Boston. A queasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach at the thought of the folder sitting safely tucked away in her bag. Did she really want to know?

 

She slowly drove around a corner, still more trees blocking her view, when she saw something by the side of the road. A shadow of an animal maybe. She slowed down to avoid colliding with any kind of wildlife when she realized that a person was actually standing in the pouring rain, holding up their arm and waving at her. Oh she sure wasn’t going to stop for a stranger on the side of the road during a rainstorm, or so she thought. As she drove by, she saw the person. Blonde hair was spilling from under the drenched hood she had pulled over her head. It was a woman.

Regina felt her foot pressing down on the brakes and her car came to halt a few feet away from the stranger. The woman immediately hurried over to her car and opened the door, not getting in immediately.

“Hey, thank you for stopping. Can you take me to the next town?”

The woman had to yell over the noise of the rain still clattering onto the roof of her car. Green-grayish eyes were peeking at her from underneath the hood and Regina could see that she was completely soaked to the skin, shaking with the cold seeping into her wet clothes.

Regina eyed her leather seats warily. What had she been thinking? But she could hardly drive on and let the woman stand here in the middle of the night. There were no other cars anywhere in sight.

“Yes, get in,” she said, wincing at the squishing sound the woman’s wet clothes made as she sat down. As soon as the door was slammed close, she pulled away from the curb and drove into the night.

 

There was an awkward silence while the blonde struggled out of her jacket, revealing a hoodie that was just as thoroughly soaked. Regina reached over and cranked up the heat. The woman flashed her a brief smile.

“Thanks.”

She simply nodded and focused on the road. She wasn’t sure how far the next town was, but it couldn’t be more than half an hour. Storybrooke was still two hours away but she wanted to get back home before Henry went to bed.

Unfortunately the weather was getting even worse. The rain didn’t stop, instead lightning flashed across the sky not too far away, followed by a deafening boom of thunder. Regina flinched involuntarily and glanced over at her fellow passenger, seeing her do the same. The blonde had not just taken off her leather jacket but also her hoodie, both items now pooled at her feet along with a wet excuse of a duffel bag.

Regina was slightly perplexed by the sight. Strong lean arms flexed as the women pulled on her seatbelt uncomfortably as another loud bang of thunder shook the car. The white tank top she wore was also completely soaked, clearly revealing the black bra she wore underneath. Regina swallowed and forced her eyes back onto the road. What was wrong with her?

She clenched and unclenched her hands around the steering wheel, suddenly feeling way too hot. But she left the heat blasting at full power because the blonde next to her was still shaking pitifully.

After another mile or two they still hadn’t spoken another word. The thunder would’ve drowned out most of their words anyway. The thunderstorm was now so awful that driving was nearly impossible. The road was just a blurry black patch of land, her headlights barely cutting through the waterfall outside.

Regina exhaled through her nose in annoyance. This was not how she had planned her drive back home to be. She was about to comment on the awful weather when she felt eyes on her and turned her head to the side. The blonde was gazing at her, but immediately blushed at being caught and averted her eyes to look out of the front window again. Regina smirked and suddenly a flash of lightning sliced through the nightly darkness and crashed into a tree right beside them.

“Shit!”

She jerked her steering wheel around and they did a little spin on the wet road, tires screeching. The car came to a halt in the middle of the road, squarely in the way of any possible oncoming traffic. The engine sputtered and died.

Regina was too shocked to react immediately and just sat there, breathing heavily, holding on to the steering wheel like a vice. Small clouds of smoke were coming from a tree behind them where it was perfectly split in half, right down the middle. Regina stared at it wide-eyed in the rearview mirror until she felt a hand on her upper arm. She turned and looked at the woman next to her whose face was a tad whiter than before.

“You okay?”

Regina nodded, feeling the heat of the hand on her arm all the way through her jacket and blouse. She licked her dry lips and nodded again, this time more to herself.

“Maybe we should get off the road until this is over,” the woman said and nodded toward a sign on the side of the road ahead of them Regina hadn’t even noticed. It advertised a hotel not too far at the next exit. She was about to shake her head, she wanted to be home in time to at least tuck Henry in, but another streak of lightning right in front of them made her change her mind.

It was then that the woman took her hand away, blushing faintly as if just realizing that it had been resting against her arm all this time. Regina looked at the blonde, her eyes travelling from sculptured cheekbones down to a long slender neck and beautiful toned arms.

“Okay,” Regina croaked.

She cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed at the dark tone her voice had dropped to. The other woman just stared at her with an unidentifiable look as she bit her lower lip.

Regina tore her eyes away and started the car. They needed to get back to the right side of the road before someone crashed into them in this awful weather. She took a quiet breath and turned around, heading toward the next exit and the hotel.

 

_So we found this hotel,_   
_It was a place I knew well_   
_We made magic that night._   
_Oh, he did everything right_   
_He brought the woman out of me,_   
_So many times, easily_   
  
_All I wanna do is make love to you_   
_One night of love was all we knew_   
_All I wanna do is make love to you_   
_I’ve got lovin’ arms to hold on to_   
  
_Oh, oooh, we made love_   
_Love like strangers_   
_All night long_   
_We made love_

 

The silence that engulfed them was not uncomfortable but heavy. Regina eventually did turn down the heat while her windshield wipers still furiously moved back and forth. She almost missed the exit if the blonde hadn’t pointed it out in the last moment.

 

Soon she found herself staring up at a large red neon sign that read ‘Hotel’, glaring like a beacon in the otherwise black night.

 

The door to the front desk was across the parking lot filled with cars. Regina cursed under her breath for not thinking of bringing an umbrella. Clearly the blonde didn’t possess one either, so by the time she’d made it across the parking lot she would be soaked.

“I can go get rooms,” the blonde offered.

“I don’t think the storm will ease up until morning. We should probably stay here until then. If you don’t have somewhere important to be that is worth risking your life over.”

The blonde smiled crookedly at her and Regina felt her pulse beating faster in her neck. She nodded quietly and unbuckled her seatbelt, turning off the ignition and holding the key in her hand. She wasn’t sure why she wanted the blonde to know that she wouldn’t just drive off while she went inside.

“I’ll be right back,” the other woman said and slung her jacket around her slender shoulders again before jumping out of the car and hastening toward the main entrance. Regina took the time to look around. The hotel seemed decent enough but couldn’t compare to the upscale suites she usually stayed in when she had to leave Storybrooke for a night. It happened seldomly enough.

Each hotel room seemed to have a separate entrance as the many doors in the two-story building suggested. Everything looked dark and somewhat lonely. A place where people only passed by, but no one ever decided to stay. She knew that kind of place well.

 

She heaved a quiet sigh and flinched when thunder cracked across the sky like a whip. That moment in the forest had been too close. The lightning could’ve hit a large tree right in front of them and they would’ve been squashed to death in the car. A shudder went through her at the mere thought. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself and looked down at her matching dark blue slacks.

 

What had she been thinking, picking up a stranger from the side of the road? The blonde could’ve been some crazy axe murderer.

 

She raised her eyebrow at herself in the rearview mirror. Very smooth, doubting her decision after it was already made.

She jumped slightly when the door opened again and the blonde plopped into the seat, bringing all the wetness and cold from outside with her. Regina shivered and saw her do the same. A key was dangling from long slender fingers as apologetic green-grayish eyes peeked at her from under the wet hood of her gray hoodie.

“They only had one room available. But the guy said the bed is big enough to share. Sorry. I know it’s weird. But I can take the floor.”

The blonde smiled and Regina got that weird feeling in her stomach again. She felt like some silly teenager about to do something secret and naughty on prom night.

“That’s okay,” she heard herself say. Was it? She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d shared a bed with someone else than Henry.

The thought of her son spurred her into a flurry of motion. She had to call him.

“Which room is it?” she asked while twisting around to grab her overcoat and purse. She regarded the black leather bag sitting on her backseat with scrunched eyebrows but turned away from it with a sigh. It could wait.

“Second floor, one oh one.”

The blonde squinted at the dark building ahead of them but it was impossible to make out the numbers on the doors from that distance. Regina sighed quietly when she saw that the stairs leading up to the second level of the building were on the other side of the parking lot, even further away than the door to the front desk had been. There was absolutely no other parking space available so they had to walk across the parking lot whether they wanted to or not.

“Ready?” the blonde asked. Hand already on the door.

Regina sighed again and nodded. She pushed the door open and cold rain immediately gushed into her face and down the front of her coat. The blonde was already halfway across the parking lot by the time she had locked her car and followed after her. Her hair was plastered to her skull when she reached the stairs. She felt the water soaking through her coat and slipping down her neck and into her blouse.

Even though she tried to hold her purse and parts of her coat over her head it felt like the rain was coming from everywhere at once. Wet her hair was sticking to her cheeks, blocking her view as she ascended the stairs. Everything was kind of slippery and her heels were obviously not the best choice for this kind of weather. She tried to make her way carefully up the stairs to the second floor but felt herself slipping and stumbling on the last step. With her arms still clutching her purse and holding her coat she couldn’t even brace herself against the fall. But before she could hit the dirty concrete with her face, strong arms wrapped around her and she was squished against a wet hoodie instead. A quiet ‘oof’ escaped the other woman as she awkwardly bent down to catch Regina mid-fall.

Her face was only inches away from the blonde’s lips.

“You okay?”

Regina blinked and nodded, eyes still fixed on shapely thin lips.

“Yes I’m fine. I just slipped.”

“Yeah, I saw that.”

The woman helped Regina back to her feet and made sure she was steady on her legs before taking coat and purse from her.

“I’ll carry that. The room is right up ahead.”

Regina found herself nodding again. She usually wouldn’t give her coat, let alone her purse, to a stranger, but she was still a little shaken from almost hitting the floor face first. She started walking toward the room, the rain finally blocked by a low roof above her, and felt a hand coming to rest at the small of her back. She inhaled sharply and turned her head to look at the woman walking beside her. Either she was ignoring Regina’s reaction or she wasn’t aware of what she was doing, but the hand stayed firmly in place. For some reason it was hot like furnace and burning right through Regina’s jacket and blouse. She knew she was imagining it, there was no way she could feel the blonde’s body heat through her clothes, but still her entire face felt flushed from the contact. After passing a couple of identical doors the blonde finally stopped and fished the keys out of the front pocket of her hoodie. The lock was somewhat jammed so she had to bump her shoulder several times against the brittle wood before the door finally opened. She stepped aside and let Regina move into the room first. It was completely dark and Regina fiddled for the light switch for several seconds until the lamp above finally flickered to life.

The room was fairly unimpressive. A queen-sized double bed on one side and a table with a tiny television on the other. There was a small walk-in closet across from her and a door next to it that hopefully led to the bathroom. Regina turned and took her coat and purse back from the blonde before she closed the door.

“You can…”

“If you want…”

They started talking at the same time and Regina motioned with her hand.

“You first.”

“I just wanted to say that you can go ahead and use the bathroom.”

“But you’ve been standing out there in the rain for much longer.”

“Yeah, so I guess it won’t matter if I’m wet for a couple of more minutes,” the blonde said and immediately blushed a delightful shade of red. Regina raised an eyebrow, barely containing her smirk.

“Fine. You stay wet then. I’ll take a quick shower.”

The blonde cleared her throat and threw her duffel bag to the ground next to her.

“Okay. I’ll be here.”

Regina smiled and turned to walk to the bathroom, her hand already on the doorknob.

“Wait. Do you have anything dry you can change into?”

Regina turned back around and looked down at herself, then over to her purse, raising her shoulders in a half-shrug.

“No.”

“I might have something for you to wear. For the night, so you can hang your stuff up to dry,” the blonde said and knelt down next to her bag. She began rummaging through its contents and eventually pulled a white tank top and blue shorts out into view. She held the two items up for Regina to see.

“They’re dry. And freshly washed of course, after I bought them. I mean I’ve never had them on before. Nobody had. I just got them the other day. They’re not the nicest clothes, I know, but they should be okay for a night. If you want.”

Regina initial reluctance vanished at the blonde’s very endearing flow of words. She walked across the room and took the items from her with a smile.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. It’s the least I can do after you picked me up and helped me get out of the rain.”

The blonde laughed nervously and looked down at her bag. Regina pursed her lips. It was true, if she hadn’t stopped on that road, who knew when the next car would’ve come by. And maybe lightning would’ve hit a tree near the blonde and she would’ve been buried underneath tons of branches.

Those negative thoughts accompanied her into the bathroom and while she took a nice hot shower. Her skin was as cold as the tiles when she stepped into the shower stall and she moaned quietly at the first feel of warmth engulfing her body. She would’ve liked to stay in the shower longer but because the blonde was waiting to warm up as well she quickly stepped out of it and dried her body with a white scratchy towel. She pulled the tank top over her head and the shorts up her legs before standing in front of the large mirror to regard her reflection. Regina raised her eyebrows at what she saw. Only clad in a white tank top and shorts she looked nothing like the sophisticated mayor she wanted to see when she gazed at herself in the mornings. Regina smiled to herself and shook her head, bending forward to towel off her hair. This was so unlike her. When she got ready to go to Boston this morning she would’ve never expected to end up in some hotel room with a complete stranger. But there was no changing her current situation, might as well try to get some sleep so she would be ready to drive back to Storybrooke in the morning.

She left the bathroom and found her new companion sitting on the small chair in front of the desk. She’d taken off her hoodie and was now only clad in a white tank top herself. Her arms were lying on the desk’s dusty surface with her head resting on them. Regina stared transfixed at a strong back and sinewy shoulders. Blonde curls spilled down the woman’s back. Regina wasn’t sure if she’d fallen asleep so she cleared her throat.

“I’m done.”

The blonde’s entire upper body jerked up off the desk and she turned so quickly that she looked disoriented for a moment. Her mouth opened when she took in Regina’s form. She blinked her eyes several times, seemingly trying to say something, anything. Regina began fidgeting under the gaze and walked over to the bed to sit down.

“The bathroom is all yours.”

“Oh…uh…thanks.”

The blonde tore her eyes away with some difficulty and eventually disappeared into the bathroom. Regina shook her head at herself and grabbed her purse. She took a deep breath and exhaled it noisily before she pulled out her phone and speed dialed Kathryn’s number. Henry picked up after the first ring.

“Mom?”

“Yes it’s me dear. I’m calling to let you know that I won’t be coming home tonight. There is a storm and I’m stuck at a hotel until it passes.”

“Are you alright though?”

“Yes I’m fine. Just got a little wet.”

Regina coughed and closed her eyes for a moment.

“Is Kathryn there?”

“Yeah she’s here. Be careful mom, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sleep well sweetheart. We’ll go to Granny’s for breakfast tomorrow, okay?”

“Great. Love you,” Henry answered excitedly before there was some rustling.

“Regina? Hey, are you okay? I was starting to get worried.”

“I’m fine, just got surprised by a rainstorm. I’ll be back in the morning, can you keep Henry until then?”

“Yes of course. It’s past his bedtime anyway, but he wouldn’t go to sleep without knowing that you’re okay.”

“I am, no worries. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Alright, take care, bye.”

“Bye.”

When Regina turned to put her phone back into her purse she was surprised to see the blonde standing in the doorway to the bathroom. She must’ve just opened it because steam was coming from behind her.

“Sorry, I forgot my own clothes,” she said, nodding toward the duffel bag across the room. She had only a flimsy white towel wrapped around her body as she strode through the room. Regina swallowed thickly, her eyes inevitably glued to perfect lean legs. The towel barely covered the blonde’s ass and she glimpsed a part of two shapely round globes. She jumped up from the bed and hurried over to the blonde, picking the duffel bag up and shoving it into her arms. She was pretty certain that she could not survive seeing her crouch down to rummage through it with just that towel protecting her modesty.

Confused gray-greenish eyes gazed at her.

“What…?”

Regina looked at everything but the blonde. This was ridiculous. Her body was obviously betraying her. She wanted something she knew she couldn’t have, and despite her usually so demanding nature she couldn’t just go and pursue it - pursue her. She didn’t even know the other woman’s name for crying out loud.

She adamantly stared down at her hands, the duffel bag the only barrier between them, when the blonde unceremoniously dropped it and stepped so close to Regina that they were breathing the same air. She wasn’t thinking clearly, couldn’t - even if she tried, and her mind decided to cease working when she felt soft lips pressing against her own.

 

-TBC-


	2. Is Make Love To You

_Oh, oooh, we made love_   
_Love like strangers_   
_All night long_   
_We made love_

 

She couldn’t focus with those lips moving against her neck so very deliciously. This was wrong. She shouldn’t be doing this, but somehow she couldn’t come up with a single reason why. She was stumbling backwards, the blonde’s hands on her lower back and shoulder, until she felt the bed hit the inside of her knees. She stopped abruptly, her back tensing. The blonde looked up from where she had been pressing soft wonderful kisses against Regina’s pulse point.

“Is this okay?”

Regina blinked. Her body was on fire. She was sweating despite the noticeable chill in the air. The blonde was only wrapped in a flimsy white towel and all it took was a simple flick of her wrist and she would have her standing naked before her. How could this not be okay?

“You… you don’t have someone, or do you? I mean at home,” the blonde asked tentatively, her hands slipping from Regina. She quickly shook her head and grabbed a hold of the towel where it was held together by a simple makeshift knot.

“No. No I don’t.”

Her thoughts briefly returned to Henry. Yes she had him, he was her son, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t do something irresponsible for once and just sleep with this gorgeous woman. She deserved it. And by the way her lower belly tightened and wetness gathered between her thighs, she was sure that she couldn’t stop even if she tried.

She moved her wrist around and removed her hand, the towel finally falling to the floor in one silent motion. The blonde’s eyes, Regina couldn’t tell what exact color they were, widened. A smile spread across her features as she took in the sight. She slowly raised her hand and let it trail from the blonde’s collar bone down to her hip where it came to rest on warm skin. The blonde’s breathing became labored and she moved so that her entire body was pressed against Regina’s. She kept her eyes trained on the face coming closer and closer until lips moved against her own. The kiss was perfect, passionate in its attempt and soft in its execution. Regina parted her lips and was immediately greeted by a curious tongue traveling across her lower lip. She moaned somewhere in the back of her throat, unable to keep quiet while her senses were overflowing. The heat she thought she’d felt through her coat earlier from the blonde was now engulfing her completely. Even the thin tank top and boy shorts she was wearing felt like way too much clothing. The blonde seemed to agree as her hands crawled underneath the hem of the shirt and fingers brushed across Regina’s stomach.

The blonde’s nipples were rubbing against her chest and all she could was keep breathing in a semi-normal pattern to stop herself from becoming light-headed. The tank top slid across her skin, tingling ever so deliciously, until it was lifted up and over her head.

 

She expected to gaze into grayish-green eyes again as soon as the garment was discarded, but instead soft lips wrapped around her nipple and Regina almost cried out in surprise. She arched her back, the blonde’s hands on her back pulling her even closer. This time a loud moan made its way past her lips and she closed her eyes, head rolling backwards at the sensation. A tongue snaked across her painfully sensitive nipple as long slender fingers massaged her other breast.

This was too good to be true. Her hands were aimlessly buried in still damp golden hair as she held that wonderful mouth close to her chest. This was insane. And so good.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment you stopped on the road,” the blonde mumbled, licking her lips as if savoring some delicious flavor.

Regina grabbed her hips with both hands and turned them both around so that the blonde was now with her back to the bed. A simple push was all it took for her to fall down onto the squeaking mattress.

Regina hooked her thumbs into the waistband of the shorts and pushed them down her legs. The other woman’s eyes were glued to the descending article of clothing until Regina kicked it away.

“I thought you looked incredible in my stuff, but this is so much better, so much…”

Regina smirked, enjoying the blonde’s gaze traveling across her naked body. She was confident enough to know what kind of effect she tended to have on lovers – not that she’d had any in the recent past. The look Emma gave her was still stroking her ego like a purring cat, instilling her with confidence.

 

The blonde scooted back as Regina moved to kneel on the bed, following her until she was holding herself up on hands and knees, hovering above her. All doubt was erased from her mind like a blank slate. This was right and she knew she wanted it. No turning back now.

She took a quiet breath before lowering her body to come flush with the blonde’s. A thigh sneaked between her thighs and the pressure it provided made Regina exhale loudly. The blonde raised her head and captured her lips in a kiss, soft and gentle. Regina rested her elbows on either side of the blonde’s face, her hips starting to move in a wonderful rhythm. She spread her legs and allowed her clit to brush over a strong thigh over and over again. She was painting the blonde’s thigh with her wetness and the moisture made the friction that much more satisfying. She was moaning in between heavy breathing, the blonde happily taking in every noise from her lips with a kiss.

Hands tangled in her hair and slowly began a steadfast descend, down her neck, shoulders and back until they came to rest on her ass and squeezed hard just as she was thrusting forward again. The sensation caused Regina to break free of their kiss to moan loudly, head thrown back and eyes closed. She’d had no idea that simple friction could feel this good.

The faint scent of rain and shower that still clung to the blonde made Regina lightheaded. She opened her eyes and looked down. The blonde’s lips were parted in a moan of her own, her brow creased in pleasure as she moved her thigh intentionally upward to provide Regina with even more pressure. Her chest was flushed and blonde tangles were spread all over the pillow below. Regina relished the sight, quickening her pulse even further.

It all combined into an enticing mixture, the sight, sounds, the smells and the feeling driving her further than she would’ve expected in such a short time. Her clit was still rubbing against firm skin, faster and faster, and to her complete shock she felt her stomach tightening in waves of an oncoming orgasm.

It was embarrassingly fast. She’d underestimated the fact that she hadn’t enjoyed this in so long. Now it was overtaking her in full force.

The blonde once again tightened her hold on her ass, squeezing, and she arched her back, lips parting in a silent scream. She shuddered, every single muscle in her body tightening until she felt like she had no control over herself at hall.

“God yes,” the blonde breathed, holding Regina steady against her until she relaxed again, rubbing her hands up and down the damp expanse of Regina’s back.

“I’m sorry…that was… I didn’t mean to…” Regina mumbled, her cheek pressed against the blonde’s chest. She closed her eyes and tried to fight the rising blush she knew was creeping across her chest and neck. Her orgasm had been wonderful, but the quickness of it now seemed pathetic. She sighed.

Gentle fingers came to rest on her chin as her head was tilted upward. She was forced to raise her head and eventually opened her eyes to look at the blonde who was still cradling her in a warm embrace.

“I hope you’re not apologizing for what just happened. You were breathtaking.”

The blonde smiled and leaned down, claiming Regina’s lips in a kiss before moving to whisper into her ear.

“I almost came from just watching you.”

Her breath left her in one fell swoop and the warm puffs of air dancing against her ear as well as the words whispered seemed to make straight contact between her legs, her stomach tightening with renewed arousal. How did the blonde manage to do and say just the right things?

 

She raised herself up on her elbows and leaned down to capture delicious thin lips in a kiss before trailing further south. She buried one hand in tangled blond hair while the other skirted around the underside of a perfect breast, her thumb stretching out to flutter over a hardened nipple. The blonde’s back arched as her eyes closed slowly.

“Don’t stop,” she encouraged breathlessly as Regina’s hand untangled from her hair and moved across the toned planes of her body until it came to rest on her thigh. Regina felt the muscles flexing underneath her palm and she licked her lips, slowly lowering her mouth to the breast that had neglected so far. The nipple hardened against her tongue as she swiped it back and forth across the peak.

Her hand on the blonde’s thigh began massaging the warm skin, venturing further and further inward with each touch, closer to where wet heat was begging her to go.

She skimmed her fingertips along moist folds, just the gentlest of touches, but the blonde’s upper body flew off the bed so she was sitting upright, staring down at Regina.

“I need you… please.”

The hushed words rushed over Regina like a warm blanket, causing beads of sweat to run down her temples. She couldn’t remember ever being this aroused just by touching another person. Hands tangled in her hair, pressing her mouth against the blonde’s chest more firmly. She carefully closed her teeth around a hard nipple still between her lips and earned herself a guttural moan from above. She smirked against the flushed skin, her fingers finally dragging through drenched folds, down and up the blonde’s entire length to rub moisture across her engorged clit. She was shaking, the hands in her hair rhythmically massaging Regina’s scalp while the muscles of the blonde’s abdomen quivered with the strain of holding her hips still.

“I need to feel you.”

The words were barely above a whisper, but with adrenaline rushing through Regina’s veins her heightened senses picked them up anyway. She removed her mouth from the blonde’s chest and shifted on the bed, scooting forward until she was almost straddling her lap. Her hand was trapped between their bodies and she leaned forward to claim another kiss from swollen red lips just as she gently pushed a single digit into velvet heat. The blonde’s entire body shuddered as she moaned into Regina’s mouth. She raked her nails down Regina’s back, most likely leaving angry marks for her to admire in the morning. Regina hissed at the pain and leaned back, her lips traveling to the blonde’s neck where she bit down in retaliation. She used that moment of new sensations to add another finger to the one still buried in the blonde. She hadn’t began moving yet, but the blonde’s hips were slowly rocking back and forth, trying to establish some erratic rhythm.

“Say something.”

Regina’s eyes snapped up to the blonde’s face, brow drawn in confusion.

“Just… say something. Fuck… your voice is like… pure sex… and I… god… I just want to hear it.”

Regina smirked at that and leaned forward, her lips right next to the blonde’s ear.

“It’s feels so good to be inside of you,” she whispered, her voice dropping to the octave she usually reserved for the mayor who was aiming to intimidate an opponent or townsfolk at council meetings. It had the desired effect. The blonde shuddered and held onto her that much harder.

 

The air smelled of sex and Regina inhaled deeply, savoring the scent, the feeling, the taste. She licked across the bite marks she’d made and concentrated on the feel of the blonde’s inner walls drawing her fingers in deeper. She began moving in and out of her slowly, teasingly, enjoying each and every shudder that raced through the blonde. She kept her eyes trained on her face, contorted with pleasure. It was the most mesmerizing sight. Each furrow of her brow and parting of the blonde’s lips told Regina when she was reaching a particular sweet spot so she kept on moving steadily, in and out, the only sounds filling the room their heavy breathing and the slick noise of their movements.

“I know you’re close. You want to come, don’t you?” Regina mumbled.

The blonde nodded, her lips parting.

“Yes, hell yes.”

By the time she added a third finger, the blonde was dripping down her wrist, making it that much more easy to move inside of her. Regina parted her lips in anticipation, leaning forward, when her fingers brushed across a rough patch of skin.

The blonde groaned loudly, her back a perfect arch as she rocked into the fingers inside her. Regina’s nipples brushed against the blonde’s chest and she bit her lower lip, forcing her eyes to stay open to witness this spectacle.

“You’re gorgeous like that, come for me.”

The blonde’s entire body was taut like bow-string as Regina’s fingers were held in tight confines. Her groan turned into a long-drawn scream as she shuddered heavily.

Regina wrapped her free arm around the blonde’s shoulders, holding her close as she collapsed against her when her orgasm slowly subsided.

The blonde’s head rolled forward, forehead coming to rest on Regina’s shoulder while she gently rocked her hips against the fingers still inside her. She was breathing heavily, her muscles completely relaxed while Regina still held her tightly.

She closed her eyes and mimicked the blonde’s position, her lips pressing against a spot beneath the blonde’s ear.

“That was… that was fucking amazing,” the blonde eventually whispered, warm puffs of air dancing across Regina’s collarbone. She smiled into the blonde’s hair and let her hands wander across the expanse of her back, feeling each curve with her palms.

 

She slowly entangled herself from between the blonde’s legs and crawled under the covers of the bed. They felt scratchy on her naked skin, much different from the silken ones at her house, but the warm body that pressed into her side more than made up for the slight discomfort. The blonde propped herself up on an elbow and gazed down at Regina who was resting on her back. Slightly roughened hands traveled along her sides, skipping across her chest and down to her thighs.

Regina licked her lips and turned her eyes to the woman spread out beside her. This was still crazy. But she was far from satisfied, and by the look the blonde was giving her she felt the same way.

“Ready for another round?” she asked with a grin.

Regina found the other woman to be completely adorable, a sentiment she hardly ever encountered. This mixture between raw sexuality and carefree easiness made the blonde completely addictive. Regina tensed for a moment. She hardly ever got attached when she embarked on a quick and painless affair to satisfy some of her more carnal needs, but this time she already felt more connected to this woman than to any of her other conquests.

She reminded herself that there was really no need to worry. She didn’t even know the blonde’s name. There was no way this could be anything else than a chance encounter between strangers. So why did her chest feel constricted and heavy at the knowledge?

 

“You okay?”

The blonde’s hand had come to rest on her stomach where her thumb was gently stroking back and forth. She seemed unaware of it as green-grayish eyes peered at Regina from a still beautifully flushed face. She smiled and nodded quickly.

“Yes I’m fine… in fact I’m better than that.”

She reached out to cover the hand on her stomach with her own and guided it down until it was resting between her thighs. The blonde’s eyes darkened to an interesting shade of green as she began moving her fingers, rubbing tiny circles until she reached her clit. Regina groaned darkly from deep within her chest and closed her eyes. Oh yeah, she was ready for another round. And maybe another one after that.

 

 

 

-TBC-


	3. All Night Long

_And in the morning when he woke_

_all I left him was a note_   
_I told him_   
_I am the flower you are the seed_   
_We walked in the garden_   
_We planted a tree_   
_Now baby don’t try to find me,_   
_Please don’t you dare_   
_Just live in my memory,_   
_You’ll always be there_

 

Regina took a deep breath and immediately winced. She smelled of sex. And of the blonde. Not even a good amount of perfume could cover up that musky scent. She hadn’t had time for a shower. Or she hadn’t herself allowed to take one.

After waking up in a warm embrace, the blonde’s body pressed against her entire length from behind, she’d panicked. She’d grabbed her still slightly damp clothes from the day before and dressed as quietly as she could. A brief look into the mirror on her way out of the door had shown her a frightened and messy version of herself. She usually knew how to control her emotions and how to handle any kind of distressing situation, but in that moment she, Regina Mills, had simply panicked and fled from the room in a headless haste.

She had thought to leave a note - words hurriedly scribbled on a piece of paper on the nightstand - but she couldn’t for the life of her recall what she’d written. It was as if the words were erased from her memory. Now she was on her way back to Storybrooke, safely tucked away in the confines of her car. The storm had passed and aside from a couple of leaves and some branches on the road no trace of it remained.

The knuckles of her hands around the steering-wheel were white from the death-grip she had on it. She had to shake her head repeatedly to clear away the thoughts that threatened to distract her from the task of driving. Her clothes clung to her still damp from the rain the previous night and she shivered. She hadn’t stopped for gas at the last gas station and now she would barely make it to Storybrooke with what she still had in her tank. So she didn’t turn on the heat and instead endured the cold, her teeth clattering pitifully until she saw the ‘Welcome to Storybrooke’ sign by the side of the road.

Her heart pounded excitedly at the thought of seeing Henry. One hug from him and her world would surely right itself again. She had a job, she had Henry and an overall very comfortable organized life. The previous night wasn’t going to throw her off track. She wouldn’t let it.

Thoughts of the blonde stranger plagued her on the entire ride home but she was sure that given a couple of days she would start to forget about her until she was but a pleasant memory.

 

Regina pulled into the driveway of Kathryn’s house and got out of the car. The muscles in her thighs and back ached nicely as she stretched and bent down to the side mirror to check her appearance. She wasn’t wearing any make-up but she hoped Kathryn wouldn’t notice. She usually made it a point to look impeccable, no matter the occasion, but there just hadn’t been any time.

She briefly fussed with her hair that hadn’t seen a brush since the day before and made her way to the door. It didn’t take more than ten seconds after she had rung the bell until the door was flung open and Henry launched himself into her arms. They hadn’t been apart that long, just a night, but to Regina it still felt like a small eternity. She cradled Henry against her chest and leaned down to press a kiss on top of his soft brown hair.

“I’ve missed you mom.”

Regina smiled brightly at him when he raised his eyes to look at her.

“I missed you too dear. Ready for breakfast?”

Henry nodded enthusiastically and turned around to head back into the house, shouting over his shoulder, “I’ll get my things.”

Regina followed him into the small foyer and smiled at a sleep-tousled Kathryn who was in the process of wrapping a robe around her body. Regina’s mind briefly flashed back to another blonde she remembered being clad in only flimsy white towel.

“Hey Regina, good to see you. Are you alright?”

Regina quickly schooled her features back into a friendly smile and nodded.

“I am. Thank you for taking care of Henry. I wouldn’t have known what to do without you.”

“Oh don’t worry about it, you know we love having him here.”

Kathryn raked a hand through her hair and stepped closer to Regina, her brows lightly raised.

“Are you sure you are okay though? You look different somehow. Have you not gotten any sleep last night?”

Regina didn’t blush but she was dangerously close to it. Instead she simply shrugged.

“The storm kept me awake. And I was mainly just biding my time until I could continue on.”

Truth was that she hadn’t even noticed the storm after she and the blonde had tumbled onto the bed. She had no idea when it had died down or if it had gotten worse during the night.

Kathryn opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Henry who bestowed a sideways hug on her before hurrying over to Regina and grabbing her hand.

“Bye Miss Nolan. Let’s go mom.”

“Goodbye Kathryn. Coffee tomorrow?”

The blonde nodded with a smile and waved when they made their way over to the car and Regina backed out of the driveway.

She glanced at Henry in the rearview mirror and caught his eyes. He smiled and so did she. Yes, this was how life was supposed to be. She was happy.    

 

Breakfast with Henry distracted her from a certain blonde stranger while her son entertained her with stories of what had happened at Kathryn’s during her absence. Only the odd look Ruby gave her when she walked over to the table reminded Regina that she wasn’t entirely looking like her usual self at the moment. She half expected that others might detect a certain scent about her she had yet to get rid of.

So right after dropping Henry off at school, she headed straight home, slipping out of her shoes and dropping her coat to the floor she walked up the stairs and right into the bathroom. She took a long hot shower, needing to wash the memories away. After that nothing would remind of her encounter anymore. No more distractions needed.

 

Her workday began just as any other during the past ten years and by the time she had made it to her lunch break, she felt halfway normal again.

 

She was keeping the treacherous thoughts successfully at bay until she retired to her bedroom that night after making dinner and tucking Henry in. She attempted to read a book but found it completely impossible to focus. So she turned off her bedside lamp and rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling of her room.

Her silken sheets felt cool and soft against her skin, so different from that awful hotel bed. Regna closed her eyes with a sigh. She didn’t want to think about that anymore.

 

But in that state between waking and dreaming her mind betrayed her and she imagined perfect pale skin and blonde curls. Lips dancing across her abdomen, lower and lower until a tongue swirled around her clit and made her gasp with pleasure and surprise. She couldn’t remember it ever feeling that good. She’d never come with someone just having their tongue inside of her, licking and stroking, but with the blonde she came so hard that she’d probably woken the entire hotel with her scream.

 

Regina was breathing heavily as she shot into a sitting position, drenched in cold sweat in the middle of her empty bed. She raked both hands through her disheveled hair, tugging on the knots her fingers got stuck in.

“This is ridiculous,” she mumbled to herself and snuggled back into the pillow, determined to not lose any more sleep over this.

 

The remainder of her night however was restless and she was tossing turning rather than sleeping so that by morning it was Henry who had to wake her when she failed to notice her alarm blaring on the bedside table next to her.

Henry was worried, but she assured him that she merely hadn’t slept well and everything would be just fine. She took him to school after breakfast and went about her day, again as if nothing was out of the ordinary. And nothing really was. There was absolutely no reason to keep thinking about a woman whose name she didn’t know and whom she would never see again.

 

The next couple of nights were spent in a similar fashion, her dreams haunted by alluring memories and images while her days were seemingly endless hours of paperwork and petitions. She’d never found her work as mayor tiring, quite the contrary, she liked being in charge and making decisions, but the tedious bureaucracy was starting to wear her down. She was reacting more testily when something didn’t go according to plan and more than once she had to stop herself from yelling at her assistant for being the most incompetent being on the planet.

People didn’t seem notice her change in demeanor, or at least they didn’t comment about it to her face. Only Kathryn was brave enough to bring it up as they met for their usual coffee on Tuesdays.

 

“Regina what has been going on with you? You look like you haven’t slept in days and David told me you tore him apart when he came to your office to speak about the animal shelter’s budget plans for next year.”

Regina clenched her jaw and closed her fingers tightly around her coffee mug. She immediately felt on the defensive. She was doing her job and she was being a wonderful mother to Henry, what else did everyone expect her to do? Go about her day with a goofy grin plastered on her face like that annoying little schoolteacher Mary-Margaret Blanchard?

“I’m fine,” she replied tersely and forced a smile onto her face.

Kathryn leaned back and crossed her arms in front of her chest, eyes narrowing.

“No you’re not. Don’t try to hide this from me Regina. Something is bothering you. You know you can talk to me about whatever it is, we’re friends, right?”

Regina took a quiet breath and nodded.

“You’re right, we are friends, but it really is nothing. I’ve just been having a couple of stressful days and I haven’t been sleeping. I admit I am a little off balance, but I’ll make sure to take more time to relax.”

Kathryn nodded and grabbed her mug, seemingly satisfied with that answer. She took a sip of coffee, her brows furrowing with whatever thought she was having.

“I think you and Henry should just take a weekend off. Do something fun together, get out of Storybrooke.”

Regina was about to protest – she had so much work on her desk without taking a weekend off and if she neglected it for three whole days she would be so helplessly behind that the town would fall to pieces without her guidance.

“The town will survive a couple of days without you,” Kathryn said as if reading Regina’s mind.

She cocked her head to the side and gazed at something past Kathryn, thinking it through. Maybe taking time off and dedicating it to spend with Henry was the right thing to do. Regina found herself nodding.

“I guess you’re right. It’s a good idea, and Henry will also be having fun. Thank you Kathryn, I think I just needed a push in the right direction.”

“You are more than welcome. Let me know if I can help with anything.”

“I will.”

 

When Regina came home from work that night, Henry dropping his backpack and hurrying up to his room to read the newest comic she’d bought him, she felt much better. That weekend would surely prove to be what she needed to get back on track.

She prepared dinner with a smile, happy at the way Henry inhaled the spinach quiche and her chocolate mousse dessert.He was more than excited when she told him about her plan to get out of Storybrooke for a weekend and immediately assured her that anything she came up with would be fun. She tucked him into bed with a gentle kiss to his forehead, leaving him to finish his comic with the flashlight he was hiding under his bed, thinking she didn’t know about it.

She retired to her study and poured herself a glass of cider while kicking off her shoes, standing on her plush gray carpet in stocking-clad feet. She sighed quietly and her eyes wandered to her massive desk at the other end of the room.

She had been putting this off for days now and it was about time she faced it and opened the damn envelope. She had planned to open it as soon as she got home from Boston, but after her encounter with the blonde and their night at the hotel, she just hadn’t had the strength to go through yet another potentially life-altering confrontation.

 

She took sip of her cider and slowly walked over to the desk. Her lawyer had told her that he’d moved heaven and earth to retrieve that information and it sure had cost as much. She carefully placed her crystal glass on the marble surface of her desk and opened a drawer to her right. The black envelope was still where she’d placed it a few days ago, undisturbed and heavy on her mind.

She remained standing and traced her fingertips across the envelope before picking it up and putting down in front of her on the desk. She pulled a blue folder out of it and placed it atop the envelope, still staring thoughtfully.

One flick of her wrist to flip it open and she would know who Henry’s biological mother was. She took another sip of her cider and opened the folder.

The glass tumbled out of her hand and smacked against the table before rolling away and falling to the ground. Cider was spreading across the marble, soaking the edges of the folder and drenching her carpet.

She couldn’t believe her eyes. It was simply impossible. She was staring at a booking photograph on the first page, showing a young woman with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Even though the picture was in black and white, Regina knew that her curls were a radiant blonde. She remembered the feel of dragging her hands through them while holding the blonde’s head between her legs.

She stumbled backward and sat in her black leather chair, gulping air into her lungs. She suddenly felt very lightheaded and squeezed her eyes shut to stop the room from spinning dangerously. This couldn’t be real. It had to be some kind of ridiculous cruel nightmare.

The woman she’d slept with couldn’t possibly be Henry’s birth mother. Coincidences like that simply didn’t exist, did they?

Her eyes flickered to the name printed below the picture.

_Emma Swan._

 

“Emma.”

 

-TBC-


	4. Like Strangers

_Then it happened one day,_   
_We came round the same way_   
_You can imagine his surprise_   
_When he saw his own eyes_   
_I said please baby, please baby,_

_please understand_   
_I’m in love with another man_   
_And what he couldn’t give me_   
_Was the one little thing that you can_   
  
_All I wanna do is make love to you_   
_One night of love was all we knew_   
_All I wanna do is make love to you_   
_Come on say you will, you want me too_

 

Regina laughed and glanced at Henry who was sitting beside her in the car with a big smile on his face. He cradled the stuffed version of Batman against his chest and continued retelling the latest adventure of the Dark Knight he’d read in his comic.

Ending their weekend by going to one of the biggest comic stores along the East Coast had been a great idea and Henry had loved every single minute of it. Regina gave herself a mental pat on the back, vowing that she would invite Kathryn to dinner or do something equally nice that showed her appreciation for her friend’s advice.

Due to having to work overtime the last couple of weeks, she hadn’t been able to take Henry out of Storybrooke for their weekend for another month, but now that she’d spent three days only being Henry’ mom, not even thinking about her job, she felt happier than she had in months. She loved her little man more than anything or anyone.

One of Henry’s favorite songs came on the radio and he turned the music up with a laugh, singing along to the silly pop song about a fox. Regina chuckled and shook her head, turning onto a street leading them back to Storybrooke. She was hoping they would make it in time for dinner so that she could treat Henry to a burger at Granny’s for the grand finale of their weekend.

 

She rounded a corner and looked over at Henry who was starting to grow tired from the exciting day and barking along to the song on the radio. His head slowly but surely dipped to the side, his grip on Batman slackening slightly. She smiled at the sight and turned away when something by the side of the road caught her eye. She checked the review mirror if there were any cars behind her and slowed down.

Brown eyes widened with recognition. A large tree by the side of the road was neatly split in half, both sides haphazardly crashed into the trees surrounding it. The bark was black from where tiny flames had licked at it before the rain had quenched the fire. Regina inhaled a sharp breath through her nose and forced her eyes away.

 

No, she wasn’t going to think about that anymore. In the last few weeks she had finally been able to sleep through the nights again and during her weekend with Henry she hadn’t thought about it at all. She wasn’t going to let it come back to her now.

She tightened her hands around the steering wheel and took several deeps breaths while working her jaw silently. She didn’t notice Henry calling her name until he poked a finger against her shoulder.

“Mom?”

She blinked several times before glancing at him. He was rubbing his eye while gazing at her with a furrowed brow.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes dear.”

“Okay. I have to use a restroom.”

“What?”

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Henry said, rolling his eyes.

“Do you think -”

“No mom, I really have to go. I saw a sign back there, I think there is a hotel coming up soon.”

Regina’s heart started pounding uncomfortably.

“It’s not far to Storybrooke.”

“How far?”

“Two hours, maybe less.”

“Mom!”

“Fine, alright, we’ll stop. But you have to be quick, okay?”

“O-kay.”

 

Henry was squirming in his seat by the time the hotel’s sign came into view. Regina slowed down and pulled into the parking lot. Cold sweat was running down her neck and lower back while her face felt way too hot. Her mouth was dry and she licked her lips several times before turning to Henry. Usually she would’ve gotten out with him, just to keep an eye on him, but she couldn’t move a single muscle.

“I’ll be right back,” Henry said, already opening the door and getting out.

“Be careful Henry. Just go to the front desk over there and ask if you can use the restroom, I’ll be right here.”

“Okay.”

Henry slammed the door shut and hurried across the parking lot with brown eyes following his every move. He disappeared through the main doors and Regina’s gaze flickered nervously over to the two-story building to her right, eyes tracking across the doors that still looked exactly like they had the last time.

There was absolutely no reason to be so frantic. It was not like she was going to run into her past here, now. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, engine still running. Henry was sure taking his time. It occurred to her that it had been almost exactly two months since she’d last been here. She swallowed thickly, staring straight ahead at the entrance, willing Henry to return. She refused to think about any of this. She deserved a respite.

By the time he emerged from the building, Regina was chewing on her bottom lip while tapping her foot restlessly. She exhaled a loud breath at the sight of Henry approaching the car. It was more than time to leave. Back to Storybrooke, back to safety.

Suddenly the entire trip out of town didn’t seem like such a good idea anymore.  

 

“Ready?” she asked when Henry was safely back in the car, putting his seatbelt on.

“Yep.”

She pulled out of her parking space, turn signal clearly indicating her intentions, when something yellow flashed in her rearview mirror and she had to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision.

 

She cursed under her breath, quiet enough for Henry not to hear, and twisted around in her seat to look for whatever had just cut her off. A yellow bug that had most definitely seen better days drove around a couple of parked cars until it found a spot right across from where Regina’s Benz was still waiting motionless. She narrowed her eyes at the offending vehicle, contemplating whether she should give that person a lecture on responsible driving when a yellow door swung open and a woman emerged from within the confines of the death trap, eyes trained on Regina, gazing at her through the windshield that separated them.

All color drained from Regina’s face as she stared unblinking at the woman across from her who seemed frozen to the spot. She swallowed past the lump that was rapidly forming in her throat and ignored the way her heart beat uncomfortably fast against her ribcage.

“Henry stay in the car.”

He looked at her with questioning eyes but nodded.

“Okay.”

Regina held the car door handle in a white-knuckled grip before opening the door and getting out. She didn’t expect her knees to feel this wobbly but she barely made it past the hood of her car before she had to stop and take several deep breaths.

The blonde took a couple of steps toward her, leaving her car door wide open. Green-grayish eyes widened with an emotion Regina couldn’t quite discern. She parted her lips to speak, but absolutely no sound made it out of her throat.

The blonde seemed to have similar troubles because her mouth opened but she didn’t utter a single sound. Several moments of silence passed until the blonde closed the distance between them with three quick strides.

“Emma,” she breathed out as if getting rid of something she’d held in for too long.

“What?” Regina asked, slightly dumbfounded.

“That’s my name. Emma. I wanted you to know it.”

A bitter little smile stole across her face. She knew the blonde’s name alright.

The sound of yet another car door opening and closing caused Emma’s eyes to travel from Regina to something behind her.

“Mom?”

Regina’s legs almost gave out. She stumbled to the side and had to brace herself against the hood of her car. She gasped quietly and tried to fight the nausea and lightheadedness suddenly enveloping her. Henry was beside her in the blink of an eye.

“Mom, are you alright?”

Two hands came to rest on her shoulder and hip and she stared into concerned green-grayish eyes as she looked up. The looks on Henry and Emma’s faces were so hauntingly similar that Regina feared she might lose her stomach’s contents at any moment when all she wanted was to throw Henry into the car and flee. She doubled over and groaned quietly.

“Hey kid, I’m Emma, a friend of your mom’s. Think you can get her a bottle of water from the vending machine over there?”

Emma rummaged through a pocket of her red leather jacket and handed Henry a couple of bills. He nodded quickly and shot a concerned glance at his mom before hurrying across the parking lot. Emma didn’t waste any time and wrapped an arm around Regina’s middle to lead her back to her Benz. She opened the door with her free hand so Regina could sit sideways in the driver’s seat, feet still hanging out of the car. Emma crouched down in front of Regina, peering up at her worriedly.

“Better?”

Regina nodded and swallowed thickly, moistening her dry lips with the tip of her tongue.

“I’m sorry for coming back into your life like this, that’s not what I wanted. “

“Why are you here?” Regina eventually managed to ask.

“Oh well I just happened to be in the area…uh… I guess in the hope of seeing you again,” Emma said, a faint blush creeping up her neck.

Regina’s eyes widened. Henry rushed back to them and handed her a bottle of cold water before she could even think to say anything. She smiled at him and dragged a hand through his hair.

“Thank you dear.”

She uncapped the bottle and took a long drink, watching Henry and Emma side by side out of the corner of her eyes.

This was absolutely not how she’d planned her weekend to end. Absolutely not.

 

“Are you okay mom?”

“I am, don’t worry honey, I think I just got a bit tired from driving.”

“Okay,” Henry said, shooting her a look that was supposed to tell that she better not lie to him. She smiled but her lips turned into a frown when Henry addressed Emma.

“Thanks for helping my mom. She usually doesn’t get tired or sick easily.”

“No problem kid, it’s the least I could do.”

“I’m Henry by the way.”

“Nice to meet you,” Emma answered with a smile and grasped his smaller hand he offered in a gentle handshake. They both looked down at their entwined hands for a moment before letting go and focusing on Regina who had turned an even paler shade of white.

“Woah, you look like you’re going to pass out,” Emma said, immediately leaning forward while still crouching in front of her.

“I think I might,” Regina answered, breathing heavily.

Cold sweat was running down her back and her fingertips felt like icicles while her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

“Maybe you should lie down,” Henry suggested, turning questioning eyes to Emma who nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I think he’s right. If you have been really driving for a while you need some rest, and more water.”

Emma tapped the bottom of the water bottle for emphasis and waited until Regina had taken another swig from it.

“Come on, I have a room where you can just relax for a bit, okay?”

“But you just got here,” Regina said, still feeling like this was some awful nightmare.

“I called and made reservations,” Emma answered with a small shrug. She moved to stand and stretched her legs. Regina slowly shook her head.

“I’m okay, really, I don’t need to lie down.”

“Mom you look like when I had the flu and I was in bed for like a week,” Henry said.

“But I’m not sick dear, I’m just -”

“He’s right, you can’t drive in your condition anyway.”

It was two against one and it didn’t seem like Regina was going to get out of this anytime soon. Emma was right, she couldn’t drive like this and she simply needed a moment of peace to calm down and regroup. This was too much, even for her.

She mechanically grabbed her purse from the backseat and stood. Henry reached out and took the purse from her while Emma’s hands hovered close in case she passed out or something equally humiliating happened. She locked the car and shoved the keys into her coat pocket before waiting for Emma to lock her own yellow monstrosity. She led them across the parking and to a door on the first floor which she promptly opened to let Regina in.

The room looked exactly like the one she remembered, a bed to her left and a dresser and television to her right. Memories of images and sounds assaulted her senses as she moved to the bed and sat down heavily. She leaned forward and buried her hands in her face for a moment.

She looked up to find Emma gazing at her with a strange mixture of expressions dancing across her face. Henry walked through the door behind her and moved over to the bed where he gently coaxed Regina to lay down, with shoes and all.

“Just take a nap and we go home after that, okay mom? It’ll make you feel better, like when I come home from school and I’m like really exhausted sometimes you tell me to take a nap.”

Regina smiled at that and nodded.

“That’s true.”

“We’ll just go over to the diner down the street and have an early dinner, how about that?” Emma suggested, glancing at Henry. He turned large hopeful eyes to Regina who sighed quietly. This was certainly not how she had imagined this to go, not that she’d imagined any of it at all. But now that she was lying on the bed, she did feel pretty tired and a little nap sounded more and more tempting. She just needed a break from this mess, if only for an hour or so. She wouldn’t be able to handle any of it the way she was currently feeling.

So she nodded.

“Okay, but make sure to wake me when you get back.”

“Thanks mom.”

Henry smiled and bounded out the door. “Let’s go.”

“Coming, wait up for me,” Emma called after him before she turned to Regina and smiled. “I’ll take care of him don’t worry. Just try to relax for a bit, okay? I’m sorry Regina, that you’re not feeling well, I guess I’m kind of responsible for that, so it’s the least I can do.”

Regina’s eyes widened.

“My name… how do you…?”

Emma smiled and cocked her head to the side.

“Your note. Your name was on it.”

“Oh,” she said quietly and nodded.

She waited until Emma had closed the door quietly before taking a deep shuddering breath. She had just let Henry take off with his birth mother, a virtual stranger. What if she knew? What if this was a trick to take him from her? Panic rose in her throat like waves crashing against the shore, but she fought the urge to jump up and follow after them, telling herself that there was absolutely no way Emma could know what was going on.

 

For some completely inexplicable reason she trusted Emma – trusted her enough to let her take off with Henry.

She draped her arm over her eyes, lying on the bed completely dressed, heart pounding loudly in her ears, realizing that her life had just gotten infinitely more complicated.


	5. Then It Happened One Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> even though the song does not talk about what happens after they meet again, I really enjoyed writing this story and decided to add on.

Emma watched with amusement as Henry wolfed down his fries and milkshake without even taking a breath.

“Your mom usually doesn’t allow you that kind of food does she?”

Henry halted, some fries suspended in the air halfway to his mouth, his large innocent eyes gazing at Emma.

“Uhm.”

“It’s okay, I won’t tell if you don’t.”

Emma smiled and Henry nodded at that, shoving the fries into his mouth. She took a sip from her coffee and leaned back, looking around the small diner. It was pretty empty and only a few people had taken up seats at the counter or the booths around them. Emma had discovered the diner a month ago when she’d returned to the hotel for reasons she wasn’t even willing to admit to herself.

“So, is there anyone we should call? I mean is someone waiting for you guys?” Emma asked.

Regina had told her that night there wasn’t anyone, at least not in that sense but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a dad somewhere in the picture. Henry closed his lips around the straw and slurped the rest of his milkshake noisily before shaking his head.

“No not really.”

“What about your dad?” Emma couldn’t resist asking.

Henry scrunched up his face and looked at her as if she’d just asked him to stick a cucumber into his ear.

“It’s just me and my mom.”

“Okay, cool.”

Emma tapped her fingertips on the table, ignoring the happy flutter in her chest. She looked around the diner again, the clock on the wall telling her that they’d been here for about half an hour. She wanted to give Regina a little more time to rest, frowning at the thought of how Regina had turned a ghostly shade of white the moment she’d seen her. Yeah she had come back to the hotel, secretly hoping to see her again, but she’d never thought they’d cross paths again. It was almost too big of a coincidence to be just that.

“Hey Emma?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I get a hot chocolate?”

Emma gazed at Henry and could barely contain her smile at the hopeful look on his face. She had no idea how Regina managed to deny him anything.

“Sure.”

Emma waved the waitress over and smiled at her before cocking her head in Henry’s direction, encouraging him to order.

“A hot chocolate please. And could you put some cinnamon on it?”

Emma’s eyes widened at the request. She’d never met anyone else who had their hot cocoa with cinnamon. The waitress turned to her.

“Anything else for you?”

“I’ll have the same, thanks.”

Henry smiled at her.

“You like yours with cinnamon too?”

“I do.”

“Awesome.”

They grinned at each other before Henry’s face fell and he sighed.

“I’m worried about my mom. She never gets sick, like ever. I mean not like that. She even goes to work when she has a cold with fever.”

“I guess I wouldn’t have expected anything else, your mom seems really tough. And I think she really just needs to rest for a bit and she’ll be as good as new. No need to worry.”

“ I mean we had a pretty busy weekend and I took a nap in the car.”

The waitress returned with their hot cocoas and Emma hummed in appreciation at the taste of the hot liquid.

“So how do you and my mom know each other? You don’t live in Storybrooke.”

Emma almost chocked on the whipped cream atop her hot chocolate as she took a surprised breath. She leaned to the side and coughed before turning to Henry with warmth rising along her cheeks.

“Well…uh…we kind of met by accident I would say, and uh… your mom was nice enough to give me a ride because my car was broken at the time.”

There, that was close enough to the truth. Emma didn’t want to lie to Henry but she could hardly tell him the entire story. She had a pretty good idea how Regina would react if she told her son some promiscuous story about how his mom met a stranger by the side of the road and had sex with her in a hotel room.

Emma blushed at her own crude thoughts. Somehow she hoped it had been more than just meaningless sex. She knew it was more wishful thinking on her part than anything else, but she had met Regina again when she never expected that to happen. And that must at least mean something. Hell she was having dinner with her son. That definitely meant something.

 

Henry seemed happy with her explanation and nodded. He probably assumed Regina had just met her on one of her trips to the city, which was mostly true.

“Should we go back?” Henry asked.

He put is empty mug on the table and smiled happily. Emma glanced at her own hot chocolate. Where had the kid put the entire cup in less than a minute? He was like a black hole. Emma took another quick swig and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

She headed over to the counter and paid for their meals before following Henry out of diner and back up the street to the hotel. Everything was pretty quiet and only a few cars passed them as on their short trek. It seemed like the hotel didn’t have much business but the owner had told her that they’d been open for more than ten years when she’d stayed for a couple of days in last month. Emma sighed. She had come to this hotel two months in a row during the same time, hoping to meet a woman who’d left her a note saying not to follow her or search for her. The stupid note was still in her wallet. Oh boy.

 

Emma walked across the parking lot with Henry by her side. She rested a hand on his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t running into any oncoming cars in his attempt to quickly get back to his mom. Turned out he wasn’t hurrying to get back to Regina but to go to the bathroom. He shouted at Emma that she could wake his mom up while he was making a trip to the restroom. Emma watched him scurry off and chewed on the inside of her cheek. Why not?

She walked to the door and carefully slid the key into the lock, opening the door as quietly as she could. The room was dark safe for the few rays of sunshine sneaking through the blinds. Regina had pulled the blanket up and over her body, her shoes and coat now on the ground and at the foot of the bed respectively.

Emma quietly moved closer to the sleeping woman until she could gaze at her face. Her features were relaxed in sleep and her lips parted with every breath she took. Emma immediately felt heat rising to her cheeks. She remembered watching Regina after she’d fallen asleep that night, trying to memorize every little detail about this gorgeous woman. She had been sure she would never see her again, but still she’d come back to the hotel, maybe just to reminisce about the best night of her life for a bit. She’d had her share of meaningless one-night stands, but this had felt like something else entirely. 

What if Regina felt the same way? What if she didn’t? Why had she come back, with her son no less? Judging by the way Regina reacted when she’d seen Emma she hadn’t expected them to cross paths again either. 

Emma smiled and leaned down to brush a few strands of dark hair away from Regina’s brow. Her fingertips danced along her temple over her cheek and down to her jaw. Oh yeah, Emma was in a shitload of trouble, that much was certain.

“Hey,” she whispered, leaning even closer, “time to wake up.”

Regina’s brow furrowed and she mumbled something, turning away from Emma’s voice, further snuggling the side of her face into the warm hand cupping it.

“Come on, you have to get up. Henry will be here any moment.”

The mentioning of her son’s name caused Regina to stir. She sleepily blinked her eyes open and stared at Emma, obviously not yet seeing anything clearly.

“Hey,” she mumbled.

Emma grinned.

“Hey.”

Several seconds passed until Regina finally realized what was happening and jerked away from Emma, almost throwing herself over the other side of the bed.

“What…what are you doing?”

Emma straightened and took two smalls steps backward, her smile faltering.

“I was just trying to wake you up. Henry went to the restroom he’ll be…”

Henry chose that moment to come through the door, hurling himself onto the bed beside Regina.

“Hey mom, are you feeling better? I had dinner with Emma, it was really good.”

Regina’s brown eyes flickered from Emma to her son and a smile tugged at her lips.

“That’s great, and I am feeling much better, thank you.”

“Do you think you can drive us back to Storybrooke?”

Regina nodded and raised her hands to fuss with sleep-tousled hair. Emma thought she’d never seen anything more adorable. Regina in her wrinkled turtleneck, one leg of her black jeans pushed up to her knee, trying to look presentable again.

“Yes. I’ll definitely be able to drive back. Tomorrow’s a school day.”

Henry wrinkled his nose and hopped down from the bed.

“I know. Hey Emma, are you going the same way?”

“Uh… I don’t know, why?”

“I think it would be kind of nice if you were around, you know if mom starts feeling bad again. Storybrooke’s not far really, like less than two hours, and we have a Bed and Breakfast there too. Granny makes the best pancakes ever.”

Regina got up from the bed. “Oh Henry dear, no, I’m sure… Miss Swan has somewhere else to be.”

“Actually I don’t,” Emma said, looking just as shocked as Regina whose brown eyes snapped up to regard her darkly.

“Listen, I think Henry has a point, I really wouldn’t want you two to get stuck in the middle of nowhere in case this might just be the beginning of a twenty-four hour flu. Been there, done that. They’re not pretty.”

“No, really, I don’t think that will be necessary -” Regina began but was interrupted by a very excited Henry.

“But when Emma comes to Storybrooke we can show her around. You told me just the other day that there are like absolutely no people coming to Storybrooke anymore to see the town, so Emma could be the first to visit.”

“Regina,” Emma said quietly, nervous brown eyes settling on her, “I just want to make sure both of you get home safe, okay? I won’t stick around.”

Emma knew she sounded like someone had just kicked her puppy, but she couldn’t help it. She truly just wanted to be sure that Henry and Regina were alright, but it was obvious that the other woman didn’t want her to do so. But what had she expected really? She was just a dirty little secret that had to be kept after all. She would bring them back to their quaint little town and turn right back around to get on with her life, that was all there was to it.

Regina sighed quietly and nodded.

“Alright fine, I see the logic in your argument Miss Swan,” she answered eventually. It seemed like she couldn’t refuse when Henry and Emma were joining forces to convince her of something. Henry grinned at Emma who answered with a small wink.

“Off to Storybrooke then,” Emma said, forcing some cheeriness into her voice.

 

Emma brought the key to her room, which she’d paid for but wouldn’t be using, back to the front desk while Henry and Regina walked to their car. She half expected Regina to simply take off without her, but was glad to find them sitting inside the black Benz, waiting. Impatiently.

Regina motioned with her hand for Emma to hurry it up and she smirked as she got into her yellow Bug and followed after Regina’s car as they left the hotel’s parking lot.

 

Emma kept an eye on the black car ahead of her, making sure she didn’t lose it when the traffic became heavier at certain points. She imagined Regina looking into her rearview mirror and scowling every time she saw her yellow baby.

Emma had no idea why the thought of annoying Regina like that was so delightful. During the two hour drive she fantasized about Storybrooke and what the little town might look like. Small houses, perfect lawns and people who knew one another by their first names. Emma shuddered.

That was certainly not her cup of tea but she wasn’t planning on staying anyway. She would get a good night’s sleep at the Bed and Breakfast, try the pancakes Henry had talked about and by the time lunch rolled around the next day she would be gone, back on her way to her own life. Not that anyone was waiting for her, but she had things to do, people to see, just like everyone else. Like Regina. She seemed to be the personification of importance, whatever the hell her job was. Judging by the outfit she’d last seen her in, she was probably a lawyer or something equally annoying.

 

Emma was listening to a country song when she passed the ‘Welcome to Storybrooke’ sign by the side of the road. She flexed her fingers around the steering wheel.

“Here we are.”

She was glad that the trip had gone by without any incidents, but as they approached the first few small town houses Emma felt something close to apprehension trickling down her spine. She was going to get the full dose of happy little town filled with happy little families.

 

She followed Regina’s car, unsure of where exactly they were going, until the black Benz stopped in front of a small diner, a sign in front of it read ‘Granny’s’ in big red letters.

Regina got out and Henry followed right after. They both turned to watch Emma who sat in her car gazing at the diner. She only snapped out of her reverie when Regina tapped against her side window, obviously huffing in annoyance.

“If you go inside and ask for a room I am sure Granny will have one available. Henry and I will be leaving. I trust you can find your way out of town tomorrow morning.”

With that Regina turned to walk back to her own car so Emma hastily scrambled out from behind the steering wheel and followed Regina several steps.

“I…uh… I might stay for a day or two. See the town, you know.”

Wait what? Emma blinked at her own words but smiled when she saw Henry’s excited grin.

“Awesome. We have a small fair the day after tomorrow, there’ll be lots of food and some games. You can come.”

“Thanks. It sounds like…,” Emma took a step back when Regina suddenly approached her, moving right into her personal space, “…fun.”

“Miss Swan, I don’t know what exactly you are trying to do here, but I assure you that it is not going to work. This is my town, and I will not allow you to bring any more chaos into my life than you already have,” Regina hissed.

Emma raised her eyebrows at Regina’s words, mulling them over in her head. Did that mean Regina had been thinking about her? About their night together? Sounded like it to Emma. She could work with that. She was about to ask what Regina meant with ‘my town’ when a man came hurrying across the street toward them, a slightly creepy smile on his face.

“Madame Mayor, I’m glad you are back. I wanted to speak with you about next week’s issue.”

He eventually trailed off when he saw Regina glaring at him while Emma’s brows had risen even further up her forehead.

“Wait, you are the _mayor_?”

Regina scowled and raised an eyebrow at Emma.

“You sound surprised dear.”

“Well I am, but it makes sense I guess.”

“Is that so?”

Emma smirked. “Yeah, you’re bossy and you know what you want, so controlling an entire town is right on top of the list of your favorite things to do right?”

Regina’s eyes blazed as she stared Emma down.

“Miss Swan we are not finished here, but I have to take Henry home. Sydney, I will speak with you tomorrow, understood?”

The man nodded quickly and tipped his hat toward both of them before scurrying off. Regina stalked back to her car and got in without a backward glance. Emma raised her hand as Henry waved goodbye before getting into the car.

“Oh this is going to be interesting,” Emma mumbled to herself after taking a deep breath and releasing it in a huff.

She turned and walked over to Granny’s diner.

 

She already had her hand stretched out to push the door open when she stopped mid-movement, her entire body freezing and her mouth falling open.

She’d never told Regina her last name but the woman had repeatedly called her Miss Swan over the past couple of hours.

“What the hell?”


	6. You Can Imagine Her Surprise

Emma was having weird dreams. All of them were about Regina and some even included Henry. She tossed and turned in the small bed and eventually woke with a start before sunrise. 

Usually she made it a point to stay in bed and under the covers until at least ten, but after having stared up at the ceiling for a little less than an hour, Emma decided that she would make an exception and start her day at seven in the morning. She dragged herself out of bed and trudged over to the bathroom, her small bag with some fresh clothes sitting in a corner.  
She slipped out of her shorts and tank top to take a shower, letting the hot water soothe away her grumpy morning mood. She smiled to herself as she thought about the previous day, closing her eyes and letting the spray hit her face. 

Sure, she had reason to be mad, especially since Regina had obviously been spying on her, but she felt happy about the fact that the mayor cared enough to find out her last name. She couldn’t remember if she had accidentally checked into the hotel using her real name, but she usually used fake ones to remain off the grid. It surely couldn’t have been easy for Regina to track her or find out anything about her, so Emma knew that on a certain level Regina was interested in her. It was a nice feeling albeit a distracting thought. She decided not to call the mayor out on it just yet. Who knew what she could do with the knowledge as long as Regina didn’t notice her little slip-up?

She finished her shower and quickly dressed in jeans, usual white tank top and a sweater, ready to go to Granny’s to get some much-needed coffee and those infamous pancakes.

Two things were surprising when she walked into the small diner, one was the shockingly young and attractive waitress and the other the fact that she started flirting with Emma as soon as she’d taken a seat at the counter.

“Here’s your hot cocoa, pancakes will be right up,” she said with a small grin as she placed the mug down in front of Emma. With extra whipped cream, oh yeah she still had it. 

Emma smirked and tilted her head slightly to the side as the waitress rested her elbows on the counter and leaned toward.

“I’m Ruby by the way. I haven’t seen you around before, are you new in town?”

“Yes, I just got here yesterday.”

“And what exactly brings you to this pretty little town? Storybrooke sure has a lot to offer, with the fair and a single movie theatre, but usually there aren’t many visitors. Or none.”

Emma chuckled and took a sip from her hot cocoa. 

“Actually…,” she began but the door to the diner was violently thrown open and drowned out the rest of her words. A man not even tall enough to reach Emma’s chin staggered in and slapped his palm onto the counter.

“A beer.”

Emma could smell the alcohol from a mile away and crinkled her nose as Ruby straightened with a sigh.

“Listen Leroy, I cut you off last night so you could go home and sleep it off, not come back first thing in the morning to get drunk again, or even more drunk.”

“Listen sister, you sell beer and I want beer, so I don’t see a damn problem… here.”

The man burped and took several steps toward Ruby and consequently Emma.   
Emma sighed quietly and slid off the barstool.

“You listen bud, I think Ruby here made it clear that she isn’t selling anything to you so you should just turn around and leave.”

“Who the hell are you? The new sheriff in town?”

Leroy barked out a laugh and burped again so that Emma had to turn away with a hand clamped over her nose and mouth. Ugh.   
Leroy sneered at her and moved to walk past her but he stumbled over his own feet and collided with Emma. She shoved him away and he staggered backward only to shove right back.

“That’s enough Leroy,” Ruby yelled, moving over to the phone on the wall. “I’m calling Graham.”

Leroy wasn’t listening. Emma doubted he had heard even a word of what Ruby said because his unfocused eyes were glaring at her. He stepped up to her, his ugly breath hitting Emma squarely in the face. It took every bit of her mental strength not to fling herself over the counter and away from that disgusting smell. 

“What you think you’re doing sister? You ain’t got nothing to say here, so… so get out of the way.” 

He was stumbling over his own words even as Emma made no move to step aside. She wasn’t going to be the one to start this but all it took was just one little spark and she would be the one to end it.  
The spark came when Leroy shoved his paw against her shoulder.

“Hey I’m talking to you.”

“Leroy,” Ruby called, clearly scandalized.

Emma allowed herself a tiny smirk before she reacted. Leroy didn’t even have the time to pull his hand back before she grabbed it and twisted his arm behind his back in a painful arch. He howled and Emma used her free hand to hold him by the neck.

“Time for you to go bud.”

She sighed internally. This was her first day in this town and already was she attracting trouble. Not that she’d asked for it, but Leroy sure did.

“Let go of me,” he cried, an edge of fear creeping into his voice. He could barely move with the vice grip Emma had on him, but he was flailing like a duck taking off into flight and somehow managed to slam his elbow right into Emma’s side. The full force of the drunken man’s hit caused her to exhale shakily and stumble back two tiny steps. Damn that hurt. Still she kept a secure hold on Leroy, using him as support. She wanted nothing more than to let go and just double over in pain but instead she clenched her jaw and maneuvered the still struggling man through the door and out onto the street.

He eventually put up less of a fight and just as Emma was feeling like she couldn’t hold on any longer a police cruiser came to a halt on the street ahead of them. The man in his brown leather jacket who leaped out of the car could’ve easily jumped out of a magazine. What was it with this town? Was that where all the supermodels took time off from their super busy famous lives?

“Graham, you need to arrest Leroy, he’s drunk and he’s assaulted Emma,” Ruby informed the sheriff from somewhere behind Emma.

“Okay Leroy time for you to calm down, I have cell with your name waiting for you,” Graham said and finally, finally, took the drunken man from Emma.   
It seemed as if he wasn’t in the mood to fight anymore and simply let himself be dragged to the police car. Graham shoved him into the backseat before slamming the door shut and turning to Emma and Ruby with a worried look on his face. His freaking perfect magazine front cover face. Who the hell looked like that with a three-day stubble?

Emma shook her head at her own thoughts. She was in greater pain that she’d realized now that the adrenaline was slowly starting to wear off. She leaned forward, hands resting on her thighs while wheezing out one breath after the other.

“Are you okay? You look like you’re hurt,” Graham remarked with his weirdly soothing accent.

Emma was trying to wave it off. “I’ve had worse.”

“Okay, but I’m sure Ruby can take care of you if you need anything, or need to go to the hospital.”

Ruby nodded and walked over to Emma to rest her hand lightly on her shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure she’s fine. Thanks Graham.”

“No need to thank me. I didn’t do anything. I should thank you, Emma is it? I’m impressed, you handled him spectacularly well. You need to tell me where I can learn that grip.”

“Sure,” Emma breathed and straightened only to wince pathetically, “next time.”

Of course Regina chose that moment to pull up behind Graham’s cruiser in her black Benz. Her hair fell in perfect waves as her head appeared from inside the car. Brown eyes took in the entire scene quickly before she walked around her car and came to stand next to Graham.

“What is the meaning of this Sheriff?”

Emma was still hurting but the sight of Regina, again impeccably dressed in a black skirt, white blouse and suit jacket, made it a bit better. At least she had something to distract her from the dull throbbing in her side where Leroy’s elbow had collided with her ribs.

“Well Leroy was stirring up some trouble but luckily Emma here was on the scene to take care of it.”

Regina scowled and her gaze slowly, very slowly, traveled to where Emma was standing, Ruby’s hand still resting on her shoulder. 

“And you decided to get into a scuffle with the local drunkard because…?”

“What? Me? I wasn’t doing anything,” Emma immediately defended. 

The talking hurt her side and she gently rested a hand atop the bruised area. Regina’s eyes briefly flickered down at her gesture but returned to Emma’s face a nanosecond later.

“I was only trying to eat breakfast, which I didn’t by the way, and that guy was walking right into me, trying to bully Ruby into giving him alcohol at eight in the morning.”

Regina’s eyebrow rose as Ruby leaned toward Emma with a smile.

“I’ll make you a new hot chocolate and fresh pancakes, on the house of course.”

Emma turned her head to return the smile. “Thanks.”

“Take him to the police station then,” Emma heard Regina say and Graham immediately scrambled off toward his car. 

It seemed like the mayor had an iron grip on this town and its inhabitants. It was kind of hot, Emma decided, that bossy self-confident version of Regina. Not at all like the person she remembered from their night together, but still the same woman.

“A word Miss Swan?”

Ah, there it was again. Emma smiled and nodded toward Ruby as she shot her a questioning glance before going back inside. She slowly made her way over to where Regina was now standing, away from prying eyes and ears.  
Emma was walking slowly, taking deliberate steps and quiet breaths. She was sure her rib wasn’t broken, she knew how that felt, but there was most definitely some bruising going on and that hurt almost as much.   
The glare Regina was directing her way vanished when she saw Emma grimace. 

“What are you…are you hurt?”

“It’s nothing, just a bruise.”

“Nothing wouldn’t have you looking like a puppy whose tail got stepped on.”

“I… I don’t look like a puppy,” Emma protested indignantly.

She’d been compared to many things in her life, but never a puppy in pain. Regina rolled her eyes. 

“Show me.”

“What?”

“Ever so eloquent. I said show me your side.”

Emma glanced around the empty street and at the diner behind her. “Where everyone can see me?” What she’d meant to say was ‘no’ but that had come out slightly awry. 

“I didn’t think you were the modest type, but fine, in your room then. At the Bed and Breakfast,” Regina added as Emma stared at her without moving a single muscle.

“That’s not necessary, like I said, it’s not a big deal, I just -”

Emma swallowed her words when Regina poked her in the ribs. Just like that. Pain shot from her bruised side up her shoulder and down to her hip. She gasped loudly, not even sure if she did it because of the pain or because Regina had just freaking poked her.

“Now Miss Swan, I haven’t got all day for this. Some of us have a job.”

Emma wanted to ask why Regina cared in the first place. She could just go to work and leave her standing in the middle of the sidewalk, but she was pretty sure that she would be poked, if not punched again if she said anything. And really, it was kind of sweet that Regina cared.   
So Emma moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue and nodded. She turned and began walking, more or less biting down on her bottom lip to stop herself from whining every time she took a step. 

 

Walking up the stairs was even worse than walking across the street but she swallowed every single sound of pain, vowing to let them out when Regina was gone. Not that she had to prove anything, but she’d never been one to admit that she was in pain until she couldn’t conceal it any longer. 

Emma unlocked the door to her room and stepped inside, turning to Regina who looked around briefly before focusing her attention on Emma. 

“So?”

“You really want to see my side?”

“That’s what I said. Why else would I be here?”

How could Emma not jump at that opportunity? She’d thought about it often enough and now Regina was here, they were alone, the bed was only a couple of steps away.   
She boldly closed the distance between them and saw Regina’s eyes widen slightly. Emma smiled and leaned closer, ignoring the dull ache in her side.

“I can think of a few reasons,” she whispered, moving closer still until her lips were merely a breath apart from Regina’s. A kiss was exactly what she needed to make the pain go away Emma decided and slowly brushed her lips across Regina’s. The brunette was still too stunned to react but after a few seconds her lips softened under Emma’s insistence and she returned the kiss. It was glorious. Emma closed her eyes and focused solely on the breathtaking feel of Regina’s lips moving so perfectly against her own. Just like she remembered, maybe even better. 

She raised a hand and cupped Regina’s cheek, her fingertips brushing through dark silken hair. Regina moaned quietly somewhere in the back of her throat and Emma celebrated on the inside. Regina wanted her just as much as she wanted Regina. She used her free hand to rest on Regina’s hip to tug her closer, her body flush against the expensive clothes she’d admired earlier. 

Emma parted her lips to gently drag her tongue across Regina’s full lower lip, begging to be accommodated. She was in absolute heaven, finally getting the one thing she’d thought about for months, until, well, until Regina poked her. Again. This time with more force and two fingers, jammed right against the ever-growing bruise on her side.   
Emma gasped into Regina’s mouth and immediately let go, stumbling back several steps across the small room.

“Oh my god,” she hissed, the pain almost completely taking her breath away. She leaned forward and rested her hands on her thighs, just like she’d done in front of Granny’s.

“I don’t what you’re trying to accomplish here Miss Swan but that is certainly not why I followed you into your room.”

“Pity,” Emma answered, glancing up at Regina from her awkward position. 

Regina blinked several times and then let out a quiet huff. “If you could show me your side now.”

“You just poked me. Again.”

“Yes, well, it seems to be the only way to keep you in line, so if you don’t want me to do it again, you will do as I say.”

Emma grumbled quietly under her breath and slipped out of her red leather jacket, simply dropping it to the ground. She hooked both hands under her sweater and tank top and pulled them both up to her chest to expose almost her entire torso to Regina.

“There, happy now?”

Regina didn’t say anything. Instead she stepped closer to Emma and carefully reached out to trace her fingertips across Emma’s side. Her fingers felt cool against Emma’s heated skin and she shivered. 

“It looks worse than it is,” Emma said. She watched Regina’s face intently, the slight crinkle of her brow and the frown pulling down the corners of her mouth. 

“I suppose. But it will take time to heal, the bruising is minor, but you shouldn’t move too much or do anything strenuous,” Regina commented. 

She dropped her hand and looked at Emma. “Do you have any pain medication?”

“No. Didn’t think I’d need any here of all places.” Emma shrugged with her good side.

“Lie down, I’ll be right back.”

Regina turned and walked to the door, looking over her shoulder when Emma failed to comply. “That wasn’t a question Miss Swan.”  
Emma stared at the door for another solid minute after Regina had left. Seriously?   
She sighed and sat down on the bed, trying to reach down to unlace her boots and take them off, but she could not get any further than touching her knees without little black spots invading her vision. So she scooted back on the bed as carefully as she could and settled in a semi-comfortable position, closing her eyes.  
Her attempt to seduce Regina had failed, but she wouldn’t have made it through anything more exhausting than kissing anyway. It was stupid, that much she could admit to herself. 

Her eyes popped open when the door opened yet again. Part of her hadn’t expected Regina to come back, but there she was, a bottle of water in one hand and two white little pills on a tissue in the other. With a raise of her eyebrow Emma tried to remember what color cyanide pills had.   
Regina walked around the bed and placed the bottle and the pills down on her bedside table with a frown.  
“Those will help with the pain, but you might want to go and get more later. On your way out of town.”  
Emma snorted quietly and pushed herself up into a sitting position, refusing to show that even such miniscule movements were causing her pain.

“Thanks.”

Emma eyeballed the pills for a moment before taking them both at once and washing them down with water. Regina frowned at her for a moment longer before swiftly turning on her heels and walking out of the room again, this time closing the door with a flourish.


	7. Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pink's "Trouble" is responsible for this chapter

Emma wrapped her hands around the bars, feeling the cool metal dig into her skin.

“You can’t keep me here forever, we both know that.”

“You should be thanking me for locking you up Swan, you should know that. The entire town is out to get your head, or wrap a rope around your neck, whatever swift death is easiest.”

Emma snorted and slapped the bars with her hands. She stepped back and sat down on the small cot in her cell with a huff. “They are nothing but backward fools, they have nothing on me.”

“I may be the Sheriff but even I cannot stop an enraged mob from enacting the justice of the people.”

“The justice of the people? Don’t make me laugh. They wouldn’t even know they’re going after the wrong person if the real murderer admitted it to their faces.”

Graham sighed and turned to glance at Emma. “It is what it is and you will stay here until everything has calmed down.”

Emma shook her head slowly and leaned back against the cold brick wall, tipping her hat into her face and closing her eyes. Maybe she could get some sleep in before she left this town for good. 

She woke up with a jerk when someone called her name loudly. She groaned at the stiffness in her neck and shoulders and pushed her hat out of her face. It was past sunset and someone was standing in front of her cell, holding a small lantern, casting ghostly shadows on the walls of the small sheriff’s office. 

“How nice of you to join me,” the person hissed in annoyance.

Emma smiled. She got up from the cot and stretched her arms above her head, her neck complaining quietly that she’d fallen asleep in such an odd position. 

“A woman needs her beauty sleep,” Emma replied with a smirk and stepped toward the bars of her prison.

“Do you have it?”

“Of course I have it.”

Regina pulled a key from the folds of her long skirt, the skull on its end glistening in the flickering light of the flame. She pushed into the lock and it opened with a clearly audible click. Emma smiled at Regina whose lips stretched in return. The cell door swung open and Emma stepped out. She wrapped her arms around Regina’s waist and pulled her close with one strong tug.

“Emma,” Regina breathed, trying to sound scandalized, “we have to leave.”

“A few moments more won’t matter,” Emma answered quietly. 

She’d been in this damn cell for far too long. She leaned forward and captured Regina’s lips in a kiss, her tongue darting out for a taste. Regina gave a quiet noise of protest but melted into Emma’s arms at the first swipe of tongue against her lips. Emma bunched the thick fabric of Regina’s skirt into her hands and roughly pulled her hips closer. 

Regina’s mouth opened in a gasp and Emma used the opportunity to sneak her tongue past Regina’s lips. The first touch was hot slick wet and sweet. Emma growled. She’d missed this so much. She buried her hand in long dark tresses and tugged gently, eliciting yet another quiet noise from Regina. Their kiss eventually slowed and ended with a few short pecks, leaving Emma completely dazed and Regina blinking rapidly.

“Now we can leave,” Emma whispered and pulled her hat back onto her head because it had slid off during their kiss. 

Regina smirked and turned, taking Emma’s hand and leading her toward the door. 

The town was dark and quiet as Emma hurried down the main road, holding on to Regina’s as tightly as she could. Little clouds of sand rose around her boots at every step and her heavy breathing was swallowed by the sounds of nightly animals surrounding the grasslands of Storybrooke. 

“The horses are ready, we just need to get them from the stables,” Regina said, having trouble gasping out the words between running and breathing. 

Emma nodded. Her eyes were darting around, looking at every house, searching for movement, the flicker of a flame. They could be watching them for all she knew, but everything seemed quiet. She was moving through the shadows and hoped that it was enough to hide them from any prying eyes. 

Graham must’ve known that Regina would come for her, yet he hadn’t put a guard in front of her cell. Emma smiled to herself. That scoundrel.   
The stables were coming into sight and Emma breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She couldn’t keep running much longer and by the way Regina was tugging at her hand she wasn’t doing much better either. 

The horses were nervous as they entered the stables. Emma stopped and took a moment to catch her breath, turning to Regina. 

“How are you going to…?”

She was about to ask her how she was going to ride fast with that skirt, but Regina simply gripped the fabric and ripped it off her hips, revealing tight brown leather pants similar to the ones Emma was wearing. 

Emma stared and Regina rolled her eyes, bunching the skirt up in her hands shoving it into a saddlebag. 

“Come on, we don’t have time for that.”

“Pity,” Emma smirked as Regina raised an eyebrow at her. 

She took the saddlebag and fastened it to the side of her brown stallion. She nodded toward a white horse tied to a post and Emma cautiously approached the animal. She was a good rider but she had a healthy dose of respect for horses and always made sure they liked her before actually getting on top of them. The white horse seemed friendly as she approached and she snatched an apple out of a basket on the ground, handing it to the horse as a peace offering. The horse munched happily as Emma patted its neck. Good enough, she could work with that. 

By the time she was done getting acquainted with her new friend Regina was already sitting in her saddle, tapping her hand nervously against her thighs, holding the reins in a tight grip. 

“Let’s go.”

Emma took a quiet breath and walked over to Regina and her horse. She reached up and rested her hand Regina’s thigh, staring up into deep brown eyes.

“Are you sure this is what you want? You’re giving up everything you’ve known.”

Regina smiled and covered Emma’s hand with her own. “I’m giving it up to be with you and that’s all I will ever want. Now get on that horse and let’s move, otherwise I won’t have to worry about being with you at all.”

Emma chuckled quietly but turned and walked to her horse. She grabbed the saddle and placed one foot in the stirrups before gracefully swinging her other leg up and over, getting settled and lightly nudging the horse to move. She followed Regina out of the stables and into the darkness, away from the town and her past.  
She rode through the flat grassland for a little while, keeping an eye on Regina and on their surroundings, looking for an orange flame in the distance. The second part of their plan. 

“There,” Regina called, pointing at something to her left. Emma’s eyes followed her outstretched arm and sure enough, there was the smoke of a small fire rising into the night sky, the flame barely visible in the distance. 

Regina spurred her horse on and Emma followed suit. Something important was waiting ahead, of that she was sure. But before she could reach the fire, or that important thing, the image blurred and disappeared.

Emma opened her eyes and stared up at the dark ceiling of her room in the Bed and Breakfast. It was well past sunset and there was a noticeable chill in her room. She shivered and sat up, groaning loudly.

That pain medication had knocked her out for almost the entire day, but she was feeling slightly better. Her side was still aching, but it wasn’t as bad as before.   
Emma rubbed a hand across her face and shook her head. What a freaky dream. She had to stop watching old western movies. 

She swung her legs out of bed and got up, looking around the room for a moment. It was quiet and the silence was only disturbed by the loud growling of her stomach. She rested a hand on her belly and rubbed. She’d not only missed breakfast but slept away the entire day without getting anything substantial into her stomach. Luckily Granny’s wasn’t far, and Ruby still owed her a meal on the house. 

Emma had gone to bed fully dressed and she just grabbed her jacket, pulled it on, and walked right out of her room. She moved slowly and managed to get to Granny’s without any incidents and only in a little bit of pain. 

Ruby was beside her as soon as she stepped through the door. “Emma, I haven’t seen you all day, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just took some pain killers and fell asleep. I’m fine, really.”

Emma moved to one of the booths and sat down, Ruby right at her heels.

“Dinner?”

Emma nodded. “Grilled cheese if you have it. I think I deserve some greasy goodness after a day like this.”

Ruby smirked. “I’d say so. It’ll be ready in a bit.”

Ruby took off to get her order and returned in less than ten minutes with a perfectly brown delicious looking grilled cheese sandwich. Emma was pretty sure she was drooling as her stomach growled. It sounded like applause to her. 

“There you go, hope you like it,” Ruby said and glanced around the diner. It was pretty empty aside from a couple sitting at one of the tables with their burgers, so Ruby slid into the booth opposite Emma and rested her chin on her hand.

“So, you never got around to telling me why you are in Storybrooke.”

Emma took a bite from her grilled cheese and closed her eyes, moaning quietly. 

“It’s a long story,” she eventually answered, wiping her hands on a napkin.

“We have time.”

Emma smirked and pointedly looked at Ruby until she raised her eyebrows in understanding.

“Oh so it’s that kind of long story, gotcha.”

“Exactly.”

“You know you’re going to have to tell me eventually.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Emma chewed on her grilled cheese and watched Ruby watching her. She had her head slightly cocked to the side and a small smile on her face.

“You’re really attractive.”

Emma blinked a couple of times and forced the large bite in her mouth down her throat.

“Uh…thanks.”

Ruby jerked her head up as if just realizing what she’d said. 

“Sorry, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything, but seriously? There are not many people coming to Storybrooke and you’re the first new face I’ve seen in months. As much as I enjoy Graham and his boyish kind of cuteness, I really was looking forward to someone halfway decent-looking coming into town. Anyway, there is this fair tomorrow, you should totally drop by. We have food, games and other fun stuff. I will be at the kissing booth and I expect you to stop by at least once.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow at Emma and waited. What else could she do but nod and agree to swing by the kissing booth? At least once. 

Emma smiled as Ruby beamed at her, obviously pleased with herself. She’d gotten the new person in town to come to their fair and if that wasn’t a reason to be excited nothing else seemed to be. Emma left the diner with her belly full and her side hurting only when she took deep breaths or climbed the stairs to her room. 

With everything that had happened, it hadn’t been a completely awful day. Sure, she could’ve gone without getting punched in the ribs by a drunken idiot, but between kissing Regina and Ruby making her dinner she didn’t have much to complain about. 

She went to bed with a small smile. She was looking forward to the fair and seeing Henry, and maybe even Regina. Surely the mayor had to make an appearance if there was a fair in her small little town?

Oh yeah, it was going to be an interesting day. Who’d have thought that there was so much excitement in a town like Storybrooke?

She closed her eyes, hoping with quite a large part of her to encounter the horseback-riding Wild West version of Regina in her next dream.


	8. And What She Couldn't Give Me

Emma just wanted to explore Storybrooke a little before she went to the fair. Regina was the mayor, so this town obviously meant something to her. It was, beside Henry, the biggest part in her life. Emma wanted to know more about Regina, what made her angry – she had seen that side – or what made her happy, sad and confused. And although Emma refused to admit that she was only driving around Storybrooke in her yellow bug to be closer to its mayor, she found that she liked the little town more with every passing day. And after being there for only two days, that had to mean something.

Her side was starting to get better and although the bruise looked like it could compete with any rainbow, the pain wasn’t as intense as the day before. Breathing was easier and she could move without showing that she was in pain.

On her little trek through Storybrooke she saw plenty of little houses, some smaller apartment buildings and a good number of stores and shops. No malls, a single movie theatre, and a large white and light yellow building that had to be the town hall. Emma smiled to herself as she drove on. There wasn’t much traffic at this time of the day and soon she’d left the last couple of houses behind and was on a road flanked by large trees, similar to the one that led into town. She was about to turn around to head back when she saw something in the distance. The closer she came, one large and several smaller buildings came into view. A sign beside the dusty driveway read ‘Storybrooke Stables’.   
Intrigued, Emma drove on, surprised to find and open field hidden by the trees where several horses were calmly grazing. Some of them lifted their heads in the direction of the noise her car was making.

Emma raised her eyebrows, thinking of the dream she’d had the day before. She’d never actually ridden a horse, but in her dream it had felt pretty good. The speed, the sheer strength of the horse moving beneath her. Perhaps she would try it someday. Maybe.  
Emma stopped in front of one of the buildings, gravel crunching under her tires, and carefully climbed out of her car. Everything seemed so peaceful, the meadow, the horses. She took a deep breath and winced. Where there were horses there also was the smell of horses. Figures.

“Can I help you?”

Emma quickly turned and found an elderly man smiling at her from his place by the door. He was wearing a dark overall and brown boots. His gray hair was shaggy and sticking up in several places. Emma thought that he had the nicest face she’d ever seen on a person.

“Not really, I was just looking around. I mean I’m new in town, and I had no idea that Storybrooke had stables.”

“We sure do,” the man said and stepped forward. “My name’s Jerry and I’ve been taking care of these stables ever since Madame Mayor had them built couple of years back.”

“Regina did?”

“Yep. She been riding ever since she was a little girl, so she did what she could that all kids in town could come here and ride. Sorry, didn’t catch your name.”

“I’m Emma.”

“Pretty name, real pretty. So you want to ride?”

“Oh no, no, thank you but no.”

“Alright, your choice, but come back anytime if you change your mind. Feel free to look around.”

Jerry turned to head back into the building when Emma took a few quick steps to catch up with him. Inside some horses were in their boxes, snorting happily at the humans entering.

“Does Regina… I mean is she still riding?”

Jerry smiled and nodded. “Follow me.”

Emma quietly shuffled along and looked at each horse as it stared back at her. She felt like she was being seized up before being dismissed. Could horses look haughtily at someone? Emma was sure they could and she was getting the whole ‘who are you, I don’t know if I like you’ treatment. Jerry stopped in front of one of the boxes and gestured toward it.

“That’s Madame Mayor’s horse.”

Emma carefully stepped closer to gaze inside the box. The horse was hidden in the shadows but stepped forward when Emma quietly clicked her tongue. Her eyes widened as the large animal with the shiny black fur coat moved toward her, head raised in a way that undoubtedly reminded her of its owner. Emma stared as the horse came closer and closer until it was gently breathing against the hand she held out to touch it.

“Quite the beauty, isn’t she?” Jerry asked. Emma nodded. She was imagining Regina riding this impressive animal, memories from her dream invading her mind and helping her create a beautiful picture. The horse shook its head and Emma stepped back, turning to Jerry who was still smiling.

“Thank you for showing me.”

“You’re welcome. And my offer stands, anytime you want to ride, just say the word.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Emma shot him one last grin before walking out of the stables and back to her car. People in this town were far too friendly and trusting. She could’ve been some creep trying to steal an animal and Jerry had happily showed her the mayor’s horse, the one that probably was worth the most. Emma had never lived in a small town and she was still in her big city mindset so maybe she just had to just accept the friendliness and curiosity for what they were, simple friendliness and curiosity. 

Emma got into her car and drove back the way she’d come. 

As soon as she entered the more populated area of Storybrooke she saw people walking on the sidewalks, all of them in the same direction. Couples, families and dogs on leashes were heading to the fair in a steady stream. Emma sighed. She would just be like the new kid in school, everyone was going to look at her and talk about her.

She parked her bug in front of Granny’s B&B and shoved her hands into the pockets of her red leather jacket. Time to face the music. She leisurely strolled past Granny’s diner, simply following in the direction everyone else was going. The fair was taking place on the lawn near town hall, Emma could see the white and light yellow building looming in the distance. It didn’t look grim at all and Emma doubted that Regina was responsible for its colors. She expected her to be more of a black and white kind of woman.

There were several booths scattered all over the place, some of them offering games, others selling food and hot beverages. A good number of people had already arrived, groups of children hurrying from one booth to the next while howling with laughter. Emma slowly made her way across the lawn, watching some high school kids throwing soft balls at an array of old milk bottles. 

The longest line was forming in front of one particular booth, Ruby’s. Guys of all ages were lining up for a kiss from her and some women had also found their way into the throng of people. Emma shook her head. She would probably come back later when there was less of an audience. She didn’t like standing in line, but then again who did?  
Instead she made a beeline for a booth that was selling cookies and cake. She could never say no to sweets, especially if they looked as delicious as the apple turnovers that were just begging to be eaten. Emma bought one and bit into the still warm pastry, closing her eyes and mumbling quietly to herself. 

“Oh god… so good.”

“Well I’m glad you’re enjoying my baking just as much as the rest of the town,” a voice said from behind her and Emma spun around, cheeks puffed with the delicious apple turnover. Her eyes widened as she stared at Regina who was cradling a small plastic box with what looked to be even more heavenly pastries. Henry was right beside her with a huge smile.

“Mom’s turnovers are the best, and her lasagna, but she can’t make that for the fair. Everyone gets her apple turnovers though, they’re usually gone first,” he said with obvious pride.

Regina smiled down at him while Emma was still busy chewing and swallowing. 

“They are amazing,” she said as soon as she was sure she could speak without spewing apple all over the place. Regina raised an eyebrow at her as if saying ‘of course they are’.

“So you want to play some games while mom helps with setting stuff up?” Henry asked, turning hopeful eyes to her. 

“I…uh… well sure, I guess, if that’s okay with you?”

Emma looked at Regina and found her staring at them with an indefinable expression before she smiled thinly and nodded.

“Sure, just stay in sight Henry, I’ll be over here.”

He nodded happily and grabbed Emma’s hand to drag her along and off toward some booths on the other side of the lawn. Where did the kid get his energy? The couple of days she’d known him he was always excited about one thing or another, making her do things she could’ve easily denied any other kid. But with his adorable smile and bouncy way of requesting things she found it impossible to tell him no. God, was Regina dealing with that every day?

She made their way around the fair, playing with oversized squirting guns and winning a small plastic sheriff star that Henry clipped to the front of his shirt. Regina would be thrilled about the holes in what probably was some expensive cashmere fabric. 

Henry dragged her to the booth where people had to throw balls at cans next and after missing two of his shots handed the ball to Emma.

“I don’t know if I can take them all down kid.”

“Just try it.”

It wasn’t the first time Emma had a ball in her hand and she was pretty decent at throwing so she decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately she’d completely forgotten about her bruised ribs from the day before. She’d hardly felt them at all the last couple of hours and gasped in surprise at the sudden pain that shot through her side as she hurled the ball and hit the cans. They all clattered to the ground and Henry seemed to take her quiet yelp as way of celebrating their victory. Instead Emma was clutching at her side with both hands while smiling through the pain as Henry picked out the stuffed lion he’d wanted. Emma took several deep breaths until she could stand without trying to protectively curl in on herself to soothe her aching side. 

“Oh hey, we have to go to the kissing booth too, Ruby said I had to stop by at least once,” Henry announced. 

Emma raised an eyebrow at him and looked up to scan the crowd before glancing at Ruby behind her booth. She’d obviously persuaded every single inhabitant of Storybrooke to   
pay for a kiss from her, and here Emma had thought she was special. She nodded to Henry and made her way over to the booth, the line now considerably shorter. 

Emma grinned as Henry timidly stuck his dollar into the jar and dove in to kiss Ruby’s cheek. Obviously having done this before Ruby turned her head to press a quick peck to Henry’s cheek in return. He chuckled as he stepped aside, seemingly delighted that he was getting a special treatment. 

“It’s a dollar?” Emma asked and produced her wallet from the depths of her pockets. Ruby nodded with a grin and Emma made a show out of pulling five dollars out of her wallet and stuffing them into the jar. 

“Do I get five kisses now?”

“One payment, one kiss. Sorry, no special treatment.”

“But Henry got it.”

“Because we’ve always been doing that,” Henry piped up, shaking his head at Emma for expecting something out of the ordinary.

She smirked and made a show out of slumping her shoulders and sighing dramatically. “Okay then.”

Ruby was silently laughing as she smacked her lips in an exaggerated way. Emma smirked and leaned forward, wincing at the way her side hurt with the movement. She played it over by pursing her lips to give Ruby a small peck, but when her lips connected with Ruby’s a hand on her neck held her in place. She felt Ruby smiling against her lips as she prolonged their kiss for several more seconds before briefly sucking on her bottom lip and letting go. Emma stared at her a little dumbfounded. 

“You’re welcome,” Ruby said with a small wink and straightened. 

“Huh?” Emma asked, narrowing her eyes. Ruby jerked her chin in the direction of something behind her and Emma turned to see Regina staring at them from across the lawn. 

Emma could tell by the way she held herself in a rigid posture, shoulders pulled back into a straight line, that she was angry. Emma sighed and absent-mindedly rested a hand against her side, just hovering over the bruised area. Emma couldn’t really tell from the distance but she thought she saw Regina’s eyes flickering down at her movement.

“Hey Emma let’s try this,” Henry called, diverting her attention from his mother. He was already at the next booth with a group of children trying to throw rings over bottles that were way too large to fit. Emma followed him and tried her luck with the bottles, paying another dollar, and losing as expected. If this kept on going she would be completely broke by the end of the day. 

She ventured to a couple of more booths with Herny until they had circled around and returned to where Regina was still helping set up all the baked goods. She looked oddly domestic as she pulled lids from cake containers and rearranged muffins by color and size. Emma smiled as they approached but Regina only glared at her icily before hugging Henry into her side and letting him pick whatever treat he wanted. He didn’t even have to ask.

Emma sighed quietly and watched them talk. Yeah, Regina was being an absolute bitch to her, but Emma had to admit that she was an amazing mom, someone she would’ve done anything to have in her life when she was young. Henry turned to her, holding a cookie and a piece of chocolate cake.

“Are you going to come to the Haunted Trail with us tonight?”

Emma blinked. “The Haunted… what? It’s not Halloween.”

“I know, but we still do the Haunted Trail every year at the fair, everyone loves it and some people dress up and hide to scare others. It’s awesome.”

“Yeah, no, I don’t think so kid.”

“Why not?”

“I just don’t like haunted houses, or trails too much. Not my kind of thing.”

“So you’re saying you’re scared of a couple of badly dressed zombies?” Regina asked, a little too much mirth in her tone for Emma to ignore.

She narrowed her eyes and raised her chin. “I’m not scared.”

“So you’ll come?” Henry asked. 

Again with those large hopeful eyes. How could she say no? 

“Yeah fine, I’ll come.”

Regina raised an eyebrow at her and Emma had to fight the urge to stick out her tongue in defiance.


	9. Was That One Little Thing

“Emma, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Emma turned and found Graham smiling at her tentatively. He raised a hand to ruffle it through his hair and his eyes briefly strayed to something behind her. Emma knew without having to turn around that he was checking where Regina was. 

Over the course of the afternoon she’d realized that many citizens of Storybrooke seemed to move around the fair while either keeping their distance to Regina or trying to be as close to her as possible without being obvious about it. Like that newspaper creep. Emma was pretty sure he was taking pictures of Regina whenever she wasn’t looking and Emma shuddered at the thought what he might do with them during his off time. Why Regina didn’t just fire him puzzled her. 

“Sure,” Emma eventually answered and followed Graham as he led her to a park bench beside a large oak. They sat down and Emma crossed her arms in front of her chest. It was getting noticeably chilly as the sun was slowly descending on the horizon. 

“First of all, how are you? I heard that Leroy got you pretty bad.”

“That he did, but I’m okay, really.”

“Okay good, so I can tell you the good news.”

“There’s good news?”

“Yes, after Leroy woke up the next morning, fairly sober, he remembered only parts of what happened but he knew that he’d actually hurt someone, a woman no less. He hasn’t had a drop since I let him out and I saw him throwing empty bottles into the trash today.”

Emma raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side. “So he felt bad about it? That’s at least something.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’ll apologize eventually, when he’s gotten over his embarrassment. I’m pretty sure he’s more ashamed of himself than ever before, and I hope that it will be enough encouragement to get back on track.”

Emma took a quiet breath and released it. “They really are good news, I guess.”

“But there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

Graham looked around again and turned to face Emma fully, arm resting on the back of the bench. He looked serious and Emma gave him her full attention. What now?

“After Ruby told me how you handled Leroy I’m more than impressed by your skills. I don’t know what you did before, but I want to offer you a job.”

“You what?”

“The position as deputy has been vacant for quite a while now, and I know that it’s not the most exciting thing, especially in a town like Storybrooke, but if you’re sticking around you probably need work sooner or later. So I thought I’d just let you know that the offer is on the table.”

“That’s nice of you, really, but I don’t think…”

Graham raised his hand to interrupt Emma and smiled. “You don’t have to give me an answer right away, I’m just throwing it out there so you know you could have the job if you wanted. That’s all.”

Emma nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Graham said still smiling. He slapped his thighs and got up. “Back to patrolling. Never know what atrocious crimes might occur at a small town fair. You should definitely do the Haunted Trail later, completely scared me spitless the first time I did it.”

Emma swallowed and watched Graham nod toward her before walking off. The Haunted Trail had scared him? Then how was she supposed to deal?  
She sat on the bench a little while longer until she saw Henry approaching in the semi-darkness. The first streetlamps were flickering to life and Emma sighed. This was not going to be fun. Not at all. 

“Hey, are you ready? The trail starts behind Granny’s diner,” Henry said as he took Emma’s hand and pulled her off the bench. She smiled down at him and squeezed his hand. 

Something in her chest constricted as well but the feeling was smothered by fear that was creeping up her spine at his words. “Why there?”

“Because it leads straight into the forest.”

“Oh…great.”

Emma was trying to control her breathing. In and out, a perfect rhythm. They were just badly dressed zombie people, like Regina said, nothing more. 

Children Henry’s age were lining up for the Haunted Trail and if they could do it, so could she. She nodded to herself and let Henry lead her to where Regina was talking to a blonde woman Emma had seen Regina with earlier in the day. She smiled at Henry and then scrutinized Emma with curious eyes as they approached.

“Hey.”

Regina immediately stiffened and inclined her head as Henry let go of Emma’s hand and burrowed into her side as she rested her palm on his shoulder, fingers curling protectively inward.

“I’m Kathryn,” the blonde introduced herself and held her hand out to Emma who shook it with a smile.

“Emma, nice to meet you.”

“So Emma, how do you know Henry and Regina?”

Kathryn raised an inquisitive eyebrow and only regarded Regina with a sideways glance as she glowered at her.

“Mom gave Emma a ride when her car was broken,” Henry chimed in and all three of them looked at him. 

“That’s right.” Regina forced a smile onto her lips and glared at Emma through her lashes. 

“I think we should head for the Haunted Trail now, I’ll see you later Kathryn.”

“You’re not coming?” Emma asked, turning to Kathryn who shook her head.

“Oh no, I don’t really enjoy the Haunted Trail that much, it’s a little creepy and I’m already scared when a cat wriggles out of a bush and I’m walking by.”

“Well maybe I shouldn’t…,” Emma began but Henry was back at her side, pushing her toward Regina and the entrance.

“Let’s go.”

Kathryn chuckled quietly and waved her hand at them. 

Emma joined Regina as they walked toward the entrance of the Haunted Trail, a mere wooden gate around a small trail that led into the dark forest behind it. Emma swallowed hard. Only complete idiots went alone into a forest when it was dark. But she wasn’t alone. She glanced over at Regina and saw the corner of her mouth curling upward.

“Afraid, are we Miss Swan?”

“Not at all.”

“I’m not either,” Henry said from where he was walking in front of them. Regina smiled and briefly dragged a hand through his hair. 

“As you shouldn’t be, there’s nothing here that can hurt you or is real, so no reason to be scared.”

Emma nodded at Regina’s words and earned herself another smirk from the mayor. She attempted to let no signs of her fear show on her face and followed Henry further into the forest. 

A couple of nightly creatures like crickets were accompanying her every step and she was pretty sure she could hear an owl hooting somewhere in the distance. Something rustled in a bush beside them and Henry yelled excitedly as a man completely dressed in black with some fake vampire teeth and a cape stepped out from behind a tree. Emma sucked in a breath and took several involuntary steps back. Her heart was beating faster in her chest and it took her a moment to get over the surprise.   
Regina tilted her head in Emma’s direction but kept an eye on the man who returned to his place behind the tree.

“Are you coming Miss Swan?”

“I’m right behind you,” Emma answered. She was halfway convinced that walking behind Regina would protect her from almost anything that could be jumping out at her. People   
probably wouldn’t want to scare the mayor and her son too badly because what she could to do them in return was very likely much more frightening.

By the time the next creature attempted to scare them Henry was laughing loudly. He wasn’t afraid at all and seemed to have the time of his life. Emma however had to fight very hard to keep the scream that was clawing its way up her throat inside. The girl that walked toward them had long black hair that fell forward and prevented Emma from seeing her face. She was wearing a white dress and looked all the way like she’d just crawled out of a horror movie. Emma hated it. 

The girl kept coming toward them and Emma broke out in cold sweat at the thought of having to walk past her on the small trail. She was thinking about just turning around hightailing it the hell out of here but then remembered the guy behind the tree and decided to stick with Regina and Henry. Regina seemed completely unfazed by everything and simply watched Henry laugh and squeal with a smile on her face. She looked incredibly young and beautiful like that and in no time Emma found herself holding on to Regina’s arm.

Surprised brown eyes turned to her. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… but just… for a moment, okay?”

Emma squeezed her eyes shut as the girl was moving past her in that half stumbling half staggering kind of way and buried her face against Regina’s shoulder. She felt it rising and falling as Regina chuckled darkly. 

“You have no problem with facing a physical quarrel with a drunken man but a girl in a dress reduces you to a quivering mess? I must say I’m disappointed,” Regina said quietly but made no move to pry Emma away from her arm. 

“I’m sorry I can’t live up to your expectations but this just creeps me out,” Emma replied and glanced over her shoulder to make sure the girl was gone. Unfortunately she found herself staring into a pale face and dark eyes. The girl was right there behind her. Emma shrieked loudly and basically clung to Regina, one hand grasping the lapel of her jacket while she hid her face against the warm skin of her throat. 

Regina snorted quietly but rested hand on Emma’s shoulder and led her away from the girl and further down the trail. 

Emma took a deep breath and inhaled a familiar scent that she had almost forgotten. Even though she was still having trouble getting her heart rate back to normal she enjoyed the feeling of being so close to Regina. It not only reminded her of their night together but sadly enough made her realize how much she’d missed something she’d only known for a couple of hours. 

“Is she okay?” Henry asked and Emma reluctantly raised her head. 

“Yeah I’m good, I just… got surprised, is all.”

Emma didn’t have to see Regina’s raised eyebrow to know it was there. She slowly let go of her and straightened so that she could walk beside Regina without being curled into her in the most inappropriate way. 

Henry grinned at her and turned back around to enjoy the rest of the trail. Emma hoped it was over soon. This was about all she could take. She tried to be inconspicuous about it as she lightly held onto the sleeve of Regina’s jacket with her fingertips but Regina still noticed. She looked down at the gesture and took Emma’s hand into her own with a sigh. Their fingers entwined naturally and Emma smiled. Maybe this haunted trail wasn’t so bad after all. 

The next guy that jumped at them from behind a large bush had a chainsaw in his hands, cutting through the quiet night with a vengeance. Emma flinched away from him but managed to stay calm enough to walk away from it without making a sound. She didn’t know if Regina realized what she was doing but she was stroking her thumb back and forth across Emma’s skin in a soothing gesture. It helped. Emma felt better than since they’d started this haunted trail nonsense and she breathed a sigh of relief as the end came into sight not too far ahead of them. 

Regina let go of her hand as they walked toward the wooden sign that read ‘Exit’ in painted red letters. Emma gazed at her profile and opened her mouth to say something when someone jumped right into her and yelled loudly. Emma staggered back several steps, this time not because she was afraid but because she was caught off guard. She almost lost her footing but arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back up and into a warm body. 

Emma looked at Ruby who was shaking with laughter. She had fake zombie skin on her face and her clothes were torn in a way that almost bordered on indecent.

“Got you pretty good I’d say,” Ruby announced with a smile and Emma smirked. 

“Next time try to be scary instead of almost jumping on top of me.”

“Can’t blame me for trying,” Ruby replied with a wink and pulled her into a quick hug which Emma returned before stepping back and disappearing into her hideout. Emma   
turned back to look at Regina and Henry but found that he had already skipped ahead and was talking to some kids who were standing at the exit. 

Regina was slowly following him but glanced back at Emma with a grave look, not a trace of friendliness remaining. Emma cradled her hand that had been linked with Regina’s against her chest as she caught up with her.

“What’s wrong?” 

Regina didn’t reply and Emma lightly grabbed her arm.

“Regina?”

The mayor spun around and glared at her like she was trying to burn a hole into Emma with just her anger.

“As you can see there are children around and I believe your repeated indecent behavior is completely out of line.”

Emma’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times before the words came out.

“My indecent…?”

“I think you should leave. Now.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?”

“I think it is painfully obvious that you and Miss Lucas can barely keep hands off of each other.”

Emma blinked. Where the hell was that coming from?

“You do realize that it was a kissing booth,” Emma said, gesturing vaguely with her hands.

“Exactly. So if Miss Lucas and you are continuously engaging in such an explicit display of your affair it is well within my power to tell you to do it elsewhere. Privately.”

“My… my what? Are you serious? You think that I…?”

It was as if all of the happiness she’d felt in the last twelve hours rushed out of her in one fell swoop and pooled at her feet. 

Sticking around Storybrooke had been a huge mistake. If Regina believed that she would start some affair with Ruby after only two days in town then there was obviously no sense in trying to stay and get closer to Regina in any way. Given, she had slept with Regina that very first night, but that was different. She thought that whatever happened between them was somehow special. The extent of her stupidity was starting to become glaringly obvious as Emma took several steps back, still reeling from Regina’s accusation.

“You… you’re right. I shouldn’t have stayed. I’m sorry you think this way about me.”

Emma offered a small emotionless smile. “I guess I was just trying to… never mind. I’ll be out of your hair by tonight.” 

With that Emma turned and walked out of the Haunted Trail and toward Henry who smiled broadly at her as she approached. Her heart cracked the tiniest bit as she returned his smile and ruffled his hair. 

“Hey kid, I going to have to leave town tonight, but I’ll leave my number with Ruby and Granny so you can get a hold of me if you ever wanna call, okay?”

Henry’s face immediately fell. “You really have to leave?”

“Yeah, but it was great spending time with you. And you know what they say, people always see each other twice in life.”

Emma didn’t know why it was so hard to walk away from the kid, but somehow it hurt to leave him. She’d barely known him for a couple of days but she liked him, liked his ever so happy presence that seemed to make any day just a tad brighter. 

He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed before she had the chance to escape. Emma returned the hug and stepped back.

“Bye Henry.”

“Bye Emma.”

She left him standing by the exit of the Haunted Trail, ignoring the empty feeling in her chest all the way back to the B&B.


	10. That You Can

“Mom, are you okay?”

Regina blinked and looked at Henry as he sat down beside her on the park bench.

“Of course, dear. Don’t you want to go through the trail again with the others?”

“I was, but then I called your name to let you know we were going and you didn’t react.”

Regina smiled at that and reached out to brush Henry’s hair away from his forehead. “I’m sorry. I must’ve been caught up in my thoughts.”

“Are you thinking about Emma?”

Regina’s hand immediately froze and she took a quiet breath. “Why do you ask?”

“I guess because she left so quickly. I thought she’d stick around for a bit.”

“Would you have liked her to stay?”

Henry moved his head to the side, a thoughtful look on his face before he nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”

Regina’s chest constricted in a painful little reminder that this was solely her fault. Hadn’t she stopped that night, none of this would’ve have happened and Henry wouldn’t be missing a woman who wasn’t supposed to be in his life in the first place. Regina remembered the look on Emma’s face, the way her vibrant eyes had dimmed right before she’d walked away. It unnerved her more than she cared to admit. But at least she was gone. Wasn’t that what she’d wanted all along?

Regina looked up when someone came to stand beside her. Kathryn smiled at them and crooked her finger toward Henry.

“I think this year I’ll make an exception and go through the Haunted Trail, but only if someone really brave and strong accompanies me.”

Henry immediately jumped up and puffed out his little chest.

“I’ll come with you,” he declared and Kathryn smiled broadly.

“Wonderful.”

She wrapped an arm around Henry’s shoulder and looked at Regina with a small glint in her eye.

“The two of us will be busy for a while, just so you know, or if you have to be somewhere.”

Regina’s brow furrowed and she nodded.

“See you in a bit mom.”

“Have fun dear, and make sure Kathryn doesn’t get too scared.”

“Okay,” Henry called as he walked toward the entrance of the Haunted Trail, a suddenly unhappy looking Kathryn following right behind him.

Regina smiled. It was a sacrifice on the part of her friend, she knew how easily Kathryn got scared by anything remotely creepy. But what was she trying to accomplish? If she suspected anything, what did Kathryn expect her to do? Regina shook her head. She couldn’t go after Emma like some lovesick fool, it would be ridiculous. 

She dragged her tongue across her lower lip and got up from the park bench, rubbing her hands together to ward off the nightly chill. She started walking in the direction of her car and stared at the black Benz for several minutes before she got in. She wasn’t going to do anything stupid, she just wanted to make sure that Emma kept her word and actually left town for good this time. 

She drove through the deserted streets and parked in front of the Bed and Breakfast, staring up at the dark façade of the building through her windshield. Not a single window was illuminated and her eyes fell on the empty parking spaces by the side of the road. 

Something akin to dread suddenly rushed through her veins. She didn’t have Emma’s number. She had no idea where she lived or worked. If the woman decided to disappear, there was a good chance that she would never see her again. It had been hard enough to get the adoption information and not even her shamelessly expensive lawyer had been able to find out what Emma had done after she’d given her son up for adoption.

Regina got out of the car and briskly walked over to the entrance of the Bed and Breakfast. She was about to pull the door open when it came toward her, missing her face by mere inches. Granny looked at her with wide eyes.

“Madame Mayor, sorry I didn’t see you there.”

A set of keys was dangling from her hand and Regina seized her up with a quick glance.

“No harm done. I’m here to speak with Miss Swan, if you could tell me her room number I’ll be on my way.”

“You’re too late, Emma left over half an hour ago, said she was heading out of town,” Granny answered with a small shrug.

Regina’s stomach dropped and all blood rushed from her face in one fell swoop. It was like in the parking lot when she’d first seen Emma again after months of trying to forget her and failing.

“Very well, good night then,” Regina said between clenched teeth and walked back to her car.

That yellow deathtrap could hardly be fast enough to get away from her Benz, but half an hour was one hell of a head start considering the road out of Storybrooke eventually parted going either east or west. She had no idea which direction Emma would take, but maybe she could get there before the blonde did. It was her town after all, she knew every shortcut.

She pulled out of the parking lot and sped through Storybrooke, her headlights cutting through the darkness. Halfway out of town, rain began to drizzle against her windshield until the drops beat a steady rhythm against her car. She closed her hands tightly around the steering wheel, hoping the rain would slow Emma down just as much as it did her.   
Regina had no explanation for what she was doing. Her head was telling her to just let Emma go. It would make her life so much easier, she wouldn’t ever have to see her again and Henry would be hers. He was hers. 

The threat she’d initially felt had caused her to react with anger and frustration, but after the Haunted Trail, Henry’s happy face and glowing eyes and Emma’s hand in her own, something had changed. 

Maybe she shouldn’t have had any of that meatloaf Mary-Margaret Blanchard had made for the fair. It had tasted funny. She wouldn’t put it past the schoolteacher to slip her roofies. Or unintentionally season her cooking with weed. At least that would explain her completely irrational behavior. 

She exhaled a quiet breath as she left the last few houses behind and took the road that would lead her past the ‘Welcome to Storybrooke’ sign into the woods surrounding the town. She was driving fast but slowed down when she saw something on the road ahead. She leaned forward across the steering wheel and narrowed her eyes.

“What…?”

She slowed down and passed the town sign before making a quick U-turn and stopping in the middle of the road, right beside a yellow bug. Emma emerged from beneath the hood and waved a hand in front of her face as a gray cloud of smoke rose from the steaming engine. She was completely drenched from the rain and her red leather jacket was hardly warding off the wet cold.

Regina lowered her side window and leaned across the passenger seat to look at Emma who stared back at her, still standing in front of her car.

“Need a ride?”

Emma parted her lips as if to say something but instead huffed and slammed the hood of her car down. She walked around to the door to reach inside and retrieved a familiar duffel bag before she slammed it shut and locked the car. She came to stand beside Regina’s Benz and hesitated for a moment. Regina jerked her chin to the side and Emma opened the door and got in, bringing all the cold and wet from outside with her. 

“Hey,” she said quietly and Emma gave her the side eye.

“Hey.”

Regina pulled away from the side of the road and stared straight ahead into the rainy dark night.

“Michael Tillman,” she eventually said and Emma’s head whipped around.

“What?”

“Michael Tillman, he’s the local mechanic. He has a towing truck and can get your car. You can call him from the Bed and Breakfast, I’m sure Granny has his number somewhere.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Silence filled the air between them and Regina smiled. This was just like the rainy evening all these months ago. Faint heat crept along her neck as she remembered how that particular night had ended.

She drove back into town and several people were on the sidewalks, umbrella’s shielding them from the rain on the way home from the fair. It had been an overall successful day, the city’s funds experienced a definite increase each year after the fair and that gave her the opportunity to spend money on projects that were otherwise pushed aside during the rest of the year.

Regina blinked. How could she be thinking about town business when Emma was sitting beside her? Ever since she decided to go after Emma in front of the Bed and Breakfast her thoughts were all over the place. It was disconcerting. Irrationality was usually not one of her flaws, but when it came to Emma all her virtues seemed to go flying out the window.   
She stopped in front of Granny’s diner and turned off the engine before gazing at Emma who stubbornly looked ahead through the windshield.

“Granny will give you the keys to your room back, if you want them,” she said quietly and leaned back into the seat. 

“Okay.”

She should apologize. Regina knew she should, but there was barely anything more difficult than admitting to having done something wrong and the words just got stuck in her throat.

“Thanks for the ride,” Emma said and got out of the car without once glancing at Regina. 

The door was slammed shut and she closed her eyes for a brief moment.

“I’m sorry I thought you were sleeping with someone else,” Regina said into the silence of her car. 

She chuckled darkly and shook her head. She was never going to say those words Emma. She couldn’t. 

She grabbed her purse from the backseat and rifled through its contents for her cell phone. She called Kathryn and made sure that she and Henry had safely escaped the rain. They were at Kathryn’s house, having fun with a round of board games. Kathryn sounded kind of shaky when she told Regina about their walk through the Haunted Trail and Regina smirked as she shook her head, telling Kathryn that she would pick Henry up in a couple of minutes.

She took a deep breath and started her car. At least now Emma wouldn’t be leaving town for a couple of days until her car was fixed. That gave her time to figure things out, and figuring out she had to do. 

She picked Henry up and thanked Kathryn for taking care of him, promising that she would tell Kathryn everything that had transpired during their Tuesday coffee date. 

Henry was pretty exhausted and went up to his room as soon as she opened the front door of the house. It didn’t matter how many times she told him to take it slow and to put his shoes by the door where they belonged, he always lost them somewhere on the way up the stairs in his haste. 

She shed her jacket and took off her heels before walking into the kitchen and putting away the clean dishes from the dishwasher. Her apple turnovers had been a success, like every year, but the fact that Emma had looked almost orgasmic while eating one of them made Regina smile. If there was one thing she was good at it was baking, and intimidating people during council meetings, but the baking was more a pleasure than a necessity.

She made her way up the stairs and found Henry in bed, reading one of his comics. She quietly entered the room and sat down on the side of the bed as he put his comic down on the little bedside table. 

“Did you have fun today?”

Henry nodded, but the usual spark in his eyes was missing. Regina reached out and stroked his forehead before dragging her fingers through his hair.

“But?”

“But I’m kind of sad that Emma left.”

Regina bit her lip. “You really like her hmm?”

“Don’t you?”

She was taken aback for a moment by Henry’s question and cocked her head to the side. She rested her hands in her lap and looked down at them before smiling at her son.

“It’s complicated.”

“That’s what all the grown-ups say when they like someone.”

Regina chuckled quietly and nodded.

“That might just be the truth. Alright, time to sleep, you do have school tomorrow.”

“I know. Night mom.”

“Goodnight dear.”

Regina leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Henry’s forehead before getting up and dragging the blanket up to his shoulders. She tiptoed out of the room and closed the door with a quiet ‘click’ before walking down the hallway, shaking her head and sighing.

“That might just be the truth.”


	11. Please Understand

Regina took a breath and readjusted the basket in her arms. She raised her fist and knocked on the door and waited. And waited.

A frown settled on her features as she glanced down at the watch on her wrist. It was past nine in the morning, she couldn't have possibly missed Emma. She was about to turn away when there was noise coming from the other side of the door before it swung open, revealing a sleep tousled Emma in a white tank top and pink panties. Regina swallowed. Pink panties.

"What the hell are you doing here this early?" Emma grumbled, leaning the side of her head against the door.

"Good morning to you too. I came here to bring you this."

Regina held the basket out to Emma who raised her eyebrows. Her eyes briefly flickered down to Emma's legs.

"Apples? You came here to give me apples?"

Ripe red apples were piled into the basket and Regina held it more tightly against her chest. They were some of her most prized possessions. Her face immediately fell at Emma's dismissive tone but she schooled it back into a professional smile a second later.

"These are meant as a peace offering."

Emma looked at the apples again and snatched one from the top of the basket, taking a large bite and chewing on the juicy goodness. She nodded.

"These are great, thanks," she answered, mouth full.

Regina bit down on her bottom lip as Emma's tongue snaked out to lick the juice from her own lips. She took a quiet breath and ordered herself to focus.

"I'm glad you're enjoying them. About yesterday -"

"It's okay," Emma interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"I said it's okay. I've been thinking about it and I get it. You were jealous and you overreacted. So did I."

"You…that's… I wasn't jealous," Regina protested, the basket in her arms shaking with the effort it took to keep still. Emma smiled.

"You don't have to say it, but I know. It's actually pretty cute when I think about it now."

"You can't seriously think… that is complete nonsense… I…," Regina sputtered. This was not going according to plan.

"Don't worry about it," Emma said and took the basket of apples out of Regina's arms.

She held it aside and leaned forward so quickly that Regina could barely react before soft lips were pressed against her cheek.

"Thanks for the apples," Emma said with a smirk and turned around, giving Regina a perfect view of her pink panty-enclosed backside. She kicked the door shut with her foot and left Regina standing in the hallway like a complete fool.

She immediately raised her arm to bang her fist against the door to tell Emma that she would not be treated like this but stopped herself in the last second as she remembered the feel of Emma's lips against her cheek.

She huffed quietly and turned away from the door. She could take losing this round. There were others to come and she would be better prepared. For now it felt like order was halfway restored. Henry would be thrilled Emma was staying in town for a bit longer and maybe it would make it easier for him when they parted on friendly terms. Regina pulled on the lapels of her blazer and rolled her shoulders. It would be easier.

Regina stepped outside and raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring morning sun. It was going to be a beautiful day. She looked around and saw Dr. Hopper walking his Dalmatian down the street. He raised a hand and waved.

"Good morning Madame Mayor, wonderful day, isn't it?"

"I suppose," she answered stiffly and inclined her head in his direction.

She had an entire day of paperwork ahead of her and after a rather sleepless night she wasn't looking forward to the tedious task. But nobody would do it if she didn't. It was part of her job after all.

She walked into her office belatedly because of her little detour to Emma's door, but her assistant just quietly handed her a couple of folders and briefed her on the few appointments she had before going back to her own computer screen. Regina liked the girl's work ethic and would probably keep her for a while. If she only she could remember her name. She furrowed her brow as she made her way over to her desk, leaving the doors to her personal office ajar. The girl knew not to annoy her with little problems she could just as well solve by herself and so Regina had turned to allowing more personal interaction between them since it was just as efficient as the intercom. She might give her a raise soon.

She pulled open a drawer and flipped through several folders until pulling one of them out and flinging it open. Aurora, that was her name. Well, it certainly was odd enough to remember.

Regina sighed and turned to her stack of paperwork.

At first she didn't recognize the timid knock on her door for what it was but glancing at her clock realized that she had been working for several hours without a break on budget reports and other money matters that no one else seemed to capable of handling.

"Yes," she called.

Aurora pushed one of the doors open and stepped inside. She was holding a small box in her hands and lifted it for Regina to see. "This was just delivered for you."

"By whom?" Regina asked sharply, raising an eyebrow.

"A Miss Swan, she said you'd want to have this. But I can set it aside."

"No, no that's alright, just give it to me."

Aurora quickly crossed the distance between them and set the little box down onto her desk. She turned and left the office just as quietly as she'd entered it. Regina would definitely give her a raise.

She eyed the box with slight apprehension. Emma wouldn't dare try to play some prank on her so she suspected that it was safe enough to open the box without finding herself being bombarded with paint or something equally childish. The fact alone that such a thought even crossed her mind betrayed her doubts. She carefully reached out and the pulled the brown nondescript box closer. She placed her fingertips on either side of it and lifted the lid until she could look inside.

Regina set the lid aside with a sigh. An apple. Emma had sent her one of her own apples. And a note. She gingerly plucked it from underneath the apple and raised an eyebrow as she read it.

_You're forgiven. I know you didn't mean what you said._

_Also the apples are delicious, I had no idea apples could taste like this._

_Reminds me of you._

_Let's have dinner tomorrow. And yes I am asking you out. With a note._

_And an apple._

_\- E_

Regina pulled on the collar of her white blouse and leaned back in her leather chair, dropping the note onto the table. She took the apple out of the box and switched it from one hand to the other, staring at it with narrowed eyes. She couldn't keep doing this, not with Emma and especially not if she had Henry to consider as well. All of this could turn into a complete disaster.

She put the apple down next to the note and rested her hands flat against the surface of the desk on either side, looking at the two items with a creased brow. She had to be honest with herself or else she would never be able to solve this problem.

She wanted Emma. She desired her, there was no denying that. She enjoyed her presence and she'd felt awful when Emma had been about to leave town. Emma was Henry's biological mother. She had obviously no idea. She could never find out.

Regina steepled her fingers as she leaned forward in her seat. The best plan of action was to let Emma stay until she'd gotten over this irrational attraction and could let her go without feeling anything. If Henry really got attached to her, she could allow them to stay in contact. Sporadically. Phone and email.

Emma didn't seem like the type to engage in any kind of long term commitment and Regina was sure that once whatever was happening between them had taken its course and died down she would leave town and never look back. She nodded to herself and crossed her legs, snatching the apple from the table and taking a bite. Licking some juice from her lips she congratulated herself on coming up with such a simple solution. All she had to do was wait until Emma grew too restless to stay and her problems would pretty much solve themselves.

Regina finished her apple and glanced at the clock on the other side of the room. She was behind on her paperwork and it was almost time to go. She sighed. Another long night at the office.

She looked up as she heard voices coming from the outer office. She got up from behind her desk and crossed the room, opening one of her doors and staring at Aurora as she was packing up her things. Another woman was perched on the edge of her small desk, smiling.

Regina cleared her throat and Aurora's head immediately snapped in her direction.

"Madame Mayor, did you need anything? I was about to come in ask if I could leave for today."

She stopped moving completely and waited for Regina to speak. The other woman slid off the desk and straightened, turning to face Regina with a sheepish smile.

"No, you may go."

"Thank you. This is Lisa Ming Tien, my girlfriend," Aurora introduced the other woman.

She stepped forward and held her hand out to Regina who shook it.

"Everyone just calls me Mulan," the other woman said.

Regina nodded. She liked Mulan's firm grip and smiled briefly.

"It's nice to meet you," Mulan said.

"Yes you too. I will see you tomorrow," Regina answered, glancing at Aurora briefly before turning and heading back into her office.

She left her doors ajar as she glanced around her office. She could clearly hear the two women as they made their way down the corridor.

"That is your boss. Damn. I mean you told me she was kind of hot, but damn."

"She's got nothing on you sweetheart."

"I certainly hope so."

The voices eventually faded and Regina chuckled to herself. Her eyes landed on the note on her desk and then traveled to the stack of paperwork that was still waiting to be taken care of. She sighed and walked back to her chair.

It took her about another hour to finish everything up and her neck was hurting when she finally leaned back in her chair and rolled her shoulders. She grabbed Emma's note and slipped into her pocket before she turned off the lights and grabbed her purse. She was usually the last one to leave the office and she enjoyed the silence that surrounded her when she locked everything up and walked down the empty hallways and out onto the street.

It was way past sunset and Storybrooke was tinged with darkness, the few streetlamps only illumination small circles every so often. A small cloud of breath formed in front of her lips and she pulled her coat tighter around herself as she walked to her car.

She glanced at the clock on her dashboard and sighed. The babysitter always charged her extra whenever she went over the agreed time but Regina had decided to leave it that way because she felt like she deserved it. She hated having to leave Henry by himself for most of the day, but her job was sometimes too demanding and there was no way she could be mother and mayor at the same time. Sometimes he came to her office after school and they each did their work in companionable silence, but usually Regina had meetings that ate up most of her afternoon.

It would be nice if he had someone who could be with him after school until she came home, not a babysitter, just someone who would take care of him for the sake of being in his company and not because she was paying them to.

Regina drove up her driveway, caught up in her thoughts. She got out of the car and walked over to the door, opening it with the keys she fished out of her purse and stepped inside. Warmth immediately surrounded her and brought some life back into her fingertips and toes. She shrugged out of her coat and pulled off her shoes before dropping her purse on a small table walking toward the living room.

"Sweetheart I'm…," the words died in her throat the sight before her.

Emma was grinning at her sheepishly from the couch as Henry jumped up and launched himself into her arms.

"Hey mom, Emma came by tonight to see you, but since you weren't back she offered to stay so Miss Nelson could leave."

Regina hugged Henry against her and bent down to kiss the top of his head, looking at Emma through her lashes. Emma slowly stood from the sofa. With her large grayish sweater and trademark skinny jeans she looked like she could just as well be a student whom Regina was paying to watch Henry. She raked a hand through her blonde tresses and rested it against the back of her head for a moment.

"I hope you don't mind that I stayed, but Henry got excited after I told him I would be in town for a little while longer, and he wanted to watch a movie with me."

Regina nodded slowly, a strange feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. "It's fine. But how did you get here?"

"Ruby gave me a ride," Emma replied.

Regina cleared her throat and looked down at her son. He was smirking in a way that undeniably reminded her of herself.

"Only that Emma doesn't know about bedtime and would've let you stay up if I hadn't been back, right?"

Henry shrugged innocently and turned to glance at Emma who rested her hands on her hips.

"Smart kid."

"Indeed," Regina said, briefly resting her index finger on his nose. "Say goodbye to Emma and then it's time to get ready for bed."

He nodded and spun around the throw his arms around Emma's waist before running toward the stairs, yelling a faint goodbye. Regina smiled as she watched him bounding up the stairs. When she turned she found Emma holding her arms out in an awkward position, a slightly spooked look on her face. She was about to ask what was wrong when it dawned on her that Emma was probably in pain.

"Your side," Regina said and moved toward Emma. She knew that there was certain strength behind Henry's hugs, especially when he was excited. Emma sucked in a couple of breaths and let her arms fall to her sides.

"It's okay, I'm okay."

"Let me see."

"What? Again?"

"Yes again. But this time keep your hands to yourself."

Emma smirked but hooked her fingers under her sweater and pulled up, holding the end against her chin.

"Will I make it through doctor?"

"Not funny."

Emma still chuckled as Regina eyed the bruised skin, bending forward to get a better look. It was taking on all kinds of colors, from green to yellow right down to an interesting shade of purple. They stretched from Emma's side around her lower back and across part of her stomach.

"Are you sure you don't want to see a doctor? A real one I mean."

"No, everything's healing just fine. I've had worse."

Regina raised her gaze from Emma's skin up to her eyes. "Is that so?"

"Uh…yeah. That one time, this biker was coming at me with a motorcycle chain…," Emma began but trailed off when she saw Regina staring at her with widened eyes.

"I heard what that sounded like, and it's not like that," Emma offered with a small wince.

"Then what exactly was it?"

"Well, I used to work as a bail bonds person, and I had to sometimes get a little rough with some guys."

"That's…interesting," Regina answered as she straightened.

Emma let go of her sweater and it fell across her stomach, hiding that particular stretch of enticing skin from Regina's view. She remembered kissing Emma's there, feeling the muscles rippling beneath. Clearing her throat, she stepped back and tilted her head toward the foyer. "Well thank you for staying with Henry, I'm sure he enjoyed it."

"No problem, it was fun, but I actually came here to talk to you," Emma said, looking down and playing with the hem of her sweater. "Did you get my present?"

"You mean my apple?"

"Yeah that, and my note?"

"Yes I saw it."

Emma glanced up to look at Regina. "And?"

"And what?"

Emma rolled her eyes, almost pouting. "Will you go out with me?"

Regina hesitated for a moment. The hopeful look on Emma's face made her stomach twist and she found herself actually considering it.


	12. I'm In Love

Regina barely hid her smile as she saw the look of trepidation on Emma's face.

Emma followed Henry as he bounded over to his horse, sporting the same look she'd had when Henry had persuaded her to go through the Haunted Trail with them.

"Tell me again why I'm doing this?" Emma hissed in Regina's direction.

Regina shrugged innocently. "You wanted to go out, and here we are, out by the stables, doing something Henry enjoys as well. Two birds with one stone,"

Emma grumbled under breath but moved closer to the horse, carefully petting its flank.

"Emma, good to see you," Jerry said as he joined them.

Emma's horse was already saddled and he carried another saddle over to Regina who was standing beside her black mare.

"You two know each other?"

"Emma stopped by couple of days ago, told her she could ride anytime she wanted."

Regina took the saddle from Jerry and raised an eyebrow at Emma before turning and stepping onto a small box to put it on the horse. She knew exactly what she was doing, the movements ingrained into her mind since childhood.

"Yeah well, I just wanted to look at horses to be perfectly honest, not ride them," Emma said from somewhere behind her and Regina smiled.

Emma had been grumpy since the moment she'd told her what they were going to do. Certainly the blonde had hoped for something more romantic, or or at least a little more intimate setting. But Regina had had the brilliant idea to simply take Emma along for Henry's weekly riding lesson, therefore turning the date Emma had planned into something else entirely.

"Ready to go?" Jerry asked.

Emma shifted her weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably, still staring at the horse like it was going to bite her head off at any moment. Regina was still smirking as she pulled the last straps of her saddle tight and then grabbed the horn and the rear end of it to hoist herself up. She swung one leg over the horse and placed it securely into the stirrup, shifting until she found the perfect position. Emma was staring at her with her mouth slightly agape.

"Hey Emma, come on this is fun," Henry said as he brought his white horse to a halt next to her.

He was almost as good as Regina used to be when she was young. He'd taken to the horses immediately and loved riding every week. Regina shook her head, thinking that all the women would later flock to him in single file when he was smiling at them charmingly from atop his white stallion. She wasn't looking forward to it.

Emma nodded, but seemingly more to herself than to Henry. Regina saw that she was mumbling under her breath and she wondered what Emma could possibly be telling herself to boost her courage.

"You need some help?" Jerry asked.

"No, I'm good, I can do it."

Emma grabbed the saddle and jumped off the ground, trying to get onto the horse, but her leg was bent at an awkward angle and she didn't quite manage to get it all the way up. She lowered herself to the ground and tried again, this time groaning as she heaved half of her upper body onto the horse and then wriggled around until she could swing her leg over to the other side.

Regina rested her thumb and forefinger against her lips to stifle her laughter. She couldn't remember ever seeing something less graceful.

Emma eventually sat upright on her horse and took the reins into both hands.

"That was easier when I dreamed about it," she mumbled, but Regina still caught the words.

"Well I'm happy to help you fulfill your dreams then," she said with a tilt of her head.

Emma cleared her throat and looked down at her horse. She patted its neck awkwardly. "Thanks a lot."

"You're most welcome."

"I know you're enjoying this."

"I'm not sure what you're referring to."

Regina was smiling pleasantly as Emma shot her a quick dark look that suddenly turned into shock as the horse beneath her moved, taking a few steps forward and lowering its head to nibble on some hay.

"Hold the reins a little tighter, make sure the horse knows what you are trying to tell him," Regina instructed, easily guiding her mare to turn around.

Henry had already taken off again toward the riding trail and Regina followed him slowly, keeping an eye on Emma who sat stiffly atop her horse.

"Move with him not against him."

"I'm trying," Emma hissed, "and just so you know, when I fall off and break my neck I am holding you responsible, I hope we're clear."

"Perfectly. Now lean forward slightly and squeeze your thighs together."

Emma narrowed her eyes at Regina but did as she was told. She squealed quietly when the horse picked up speed but then relaxed again when Emma leaned back.

"Try not to scream."

"You could've told me that it makes him go faster," Emma said with accusing glare.

"Learning by doing dear, always the best method."

Regina smirked and turned her horse around so it would be behind Emma to catch up until they were side by side. "Here, watch my movements, you should try to be in sync with every step the horse takes."

Emma turned her head and gazed at Regina, her eyes travelling up from her feet to her thighs and that's where she got stuck.

"Focus Miss Swan."

Emma swallowed and blinked. She tore her eyes away and attempted to sit up straighter, lifting and raising her body with every movement of the powerful animal beneath her.

Regina licked her lips at the sight. The muscles of Emma's thighs flexed with every step, her slender hands holding the rains tightly while her blond hair gathered in a ponytail flopped back and forth.

"Who's not focusing now?" Emma teased.

"I'm merely making sure you're following my instructions correctly," Regina answered but didn't turn away. Instead she allowed her eyes to rake over Emma from head to toe.

Emma was beautiful. Her body was lean and perfectly muscled. There was strength in every part of her but at the same time no one had ever touched her more gently. She bit her lip as she thought back to that fateful night, like she'd done so many times over the past few months. It was almost ironic that she found Emma standing by the side of the road, and not some other random stranger who she would've just given a ride before disappearing again.

"You're doing great Emma," Henry complimented as he came riding toward them, a large smile on his face. "Isn't this so much fun?"

"Sure," Emma answered, still staring down at her horse with intense focus.

Regina had to admit that Emma was doing fairly well. She certainly had the physique to be an excellent rider and if she only got over her fear of falling she would be able to move with the horse, not against it.

It was more about trust than it was about being in control, but Emma had to believe that she could make the decisions for both herself and the horse before it would begin listening to her subtle hints.

Regina turned away and looked over the vast expanse of open field before them. The riding trail circled around the meadow and eventually led into the forest where it became broader and ended by the lake. It was a beautiful spot that only few people knew about and usually she and Henry were alone whenever they rode out there. This time they would stick to the meadow and even ground because Emma had to get used to riding before she could take on anything more difficult.

She was keeping it at a normal pace beside Emma while Henry rode ahead every once in a while before returning and circling them. Emma was getting better with every passing minute, but after about an hour of making their rounds, her face started to contort with pain. Regina had expected it. Emma's side hadn't completely healed yet and riding a horse for too long would only be making it worse.

She waved to Henry and turned to Emma to call it a day when Emma's horse suddenly stopped. Its eyes widened and it trampled nervously back and forth. It was clearly spooked and Emma, as inexperienced as she was, had no idea what to do. She pulled the reins tight and caused the horse to rear up before stomping back down and taking off.

Emma shrieked loudly and held on for dear life.

Regina's eyes widened and she didn't move for several seconds, trying to understand what exactly had just happened. Henry was still somewhere ahead of them and Emma was steadily gaining on him. She had absolutely no control over the panicked horse and clung to it with her entire body.

Regina clenched her jaw and tapped her boots against the horse's sides. "Hiyah, let's go!"

Her eyes trained on Emma she followed the sprinting horse as quickly as she could. Emma passed Henry on his horse and he quickly got off, standing beside the animal and holding the reins. Good boy.

"Get her mom," he called as she shot past him.

She was steadily gaining on Emma who looked like she could barely hold on anymore. She was still shrieking, unsuccessfully trying to stop the horse while it was heading toward the forest. Regina feared what could happen once they left the meadow behind. Emma could be knocked off by low hanging branch, sustaining god knew what injuries. She needed to get to her before it was too late. She pushed her own horse even further, leaning forward in the saddle.

"Take your feet out of the stirrups," she yelled, hoping Emma would hear her.

"Are you crazy?"

Emma looked back over her shoulder briefly, eyes wide and frantic. She was being bounced around like a doll on a mechanic bull.

"Do it, now," Regina called.

By the time she was riding beside her, Emma had followed her instructions and was halfway sliding off the animal without her feet secured in the stirrups. Regina knew she couldn't stop the horse, even if she got a hold of the reins it wasn't going to stop. She would only be pulled down herself. Regina cut her eyes back to the forest, raising her eyebrows at what she saw. Well it was better than risking Emma breaking her neck in between the trees.

Everything was happening in a matter of seconds although it seemed much longer to her. As soon as her decision was made, she freed her own boots from the stirrups and lifted one leg up and onto the saddle. She pushed herself off and forward, bumping right into Emma who screamed at the impact. She was in the air for only a split second before she collided with Emma and both of them tumbled into a large pile of hay. They were completely swallowed by the yellow sticks and Regina could barely see the sky through the mass of dry grass on top of her.

She realized she was on her back, her entire body feeling like she had just taken a spin in the dryer. Everything was a little unfocused as she turned her head to see Emma lying next to her on her side, facing away from her. She reached out a hand and rested it on Emma's shoulder, dragging it down her spine before dropping it into the hay. Her limbs felt heavy and she needed a moment to regain her senses before she could properly check on Emma.

The body next to her moved and Emma groaned loudly as she rolled onto her back.

"Ouch…that hurt. Are you okay?"

Regina blinked her eyes and nodded. "I think so."

Emma's head lolled around to look at her and she gasped as green-grayish eyes widened. "Shit you're bleeding."

"Language Miss Swan," Regina commented absently, reaching up to her forehead where it was beginning to throb. Her fingertips came away bloody.

"It's just a scratch."

Emma groaned again as she tried to sit up, clutching her side with both hands. "This is all my fault."

"And here I thought that you would hold me responsible for whatever accident you might get into."

Emma grimaced and held a hand out to Regina who grabbed it to be pulled up into a sitting position.

"In that case, yes, I'm blaming you. Plus you owe me a date, this so does not count."

Regina snorted quietly and reached out to pluck some errand piece of straw from Emma's hair. "You must've hit your head."

Emma smiled and for a single complete moment Regina simply sat there, staring at the woman beside her, surrounded by hay, her head starting to pound with a monstrous headache. But one beautiful smile from Emma made everything seem less harsh. The contours of her world softened around the edges just a fraction.

The moment was gone as soon as she heard Henry's frantic calls.

"Mom, are you okay, mom? Emma?"

"We're okay Henry," she called back and struggled to her feet.

Hay was sticking to her clothes and she was sure it was everywhere in her hair. She held a hand out to Emma and helped her get up as well. Emma winced as she tried to stand on her left leg and Regina looked down to see the front her pants were cut open right across her knee. Emma sighed and pushed strands of hair out of her face. She was about to say something when Regina cut her off.

"You've had worse, right?"

Emma smirked and tilted her head to the side. "How about you?"

"I'm used to falling off of horses, trust me."

Regina walked around to Emma's other side and wordlessly took her arm to sling it over her shoulders. Emma didn't protest and, with Regina's help, hobbled out of the huge pile of hay that they had significantly flattened.

"Mom."

Henry came running toward them and stopped abruptly to assess the damage. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, just a couple of scratches kid, nothing to worry about."

Henry nodded and launched forward to wrap his arms around both of them.

"That looked really scary."

"I bet, but your mom was right there and saved me."

Emma rested a hand on Henry's shoulder and turned to look at Regina. She frowned slightly before a vulnerable expression flittered across her face.

"Thank you Regina. That was all kinds of dangerous, and I don't know –"

Regina silenced Emma by putting her hand atop the one resting on Henry's shoulder.

"It's okay. You would've done the same."

Emma lowered her eyes and then looked up through her lashes.

"Yeah, I would have even though I would've had no idea how to," she mumbled.

Regina walked back to the stables in silence, supporting half of Emma's weight with the arm that was slung over her shoulders. They'd driven to the stables in her car since Emma's death trap was still at the auto shop. Regina opened the passenger door of her car and sat Emma down. Jerry was beside them in the blink of an eye, worry etched across his pleasant features.

"Oh my… what happened? Is everyone alright?"

His eyes darted back and forth between them and over to where Henry was leading two of the three horses back to the stable. He tied the reins to a wooden post and joined them a moment later.

"Yes, we're fine. Cesar got spooked, I think it might've been a snake. He's grazing by the forest on the south side somewhere," Regina said.

Jerry nodded and lifted his cap to rub a hand across his balding head. "No worries I'll get him. As long as all of you are alright."

Regina smiled briefly at him and nodded before she turned to Henry. "I'll take you to Kathryn's and you can spend the afternoon with her while Miss Swan gets checked at the hospital."

"Emma has to go to the hospital?"

"What? No," Emma said.

"Yes she does. But only as a precaution, making sure that everything is fine, okay?"

Henry nodded while Emma shook her head.

"I don't need to go to the hospital."

"And yet I will take you there."

Regina shut off Emma's protests by simply closing the car door. Henry got into the backseat and Regina walked around to the driver's side.

"You sure you can drive?" Jerry asked, handing Regina a clean folded handkerchief and indicating his own forehead with his finger.

Regina raised the handkerchief to the gash and dabbed at it. "Yes, it'll be fine, thank you."

"No problem, I'll take care of the horses."

Regina smiled briefly at him and pocketed the soiled handkerchief before getting into the car.

"Mom, Emma still doesn't want to go to the hospital," Henry said.

Emma rolled her eyes and glared at him over her shoulder.

"This is not about what Miss Swan wants Henry, so don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Henry smirked and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Traitor," Emma breathed as Regina backed out of the dusty driveway, her hands around the steering wheel slightly shaky.


	13. With Another

Henry smiled up at Kathryn as she regarded them with wide eyes.

"What happened to you?"

She reached forward and plucked some straw from beneath the collar of Regina's jacket. "Is…is that blood?"

Kathryn turned pale and gulped. She reached out a hand to steady herself against the doorframe, her gaze searching Henry quickly for any injuries. Regina tilted her head so that her hair hid the gash on her forehead.

"We had a small incident while we were out riding."

"We?"

"My mom and Emma," Henry supplied, "Emma's horse got spooked by something and it took off and my mom raced after her and saved her."

Henry was bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet by the time he had finished speaking. Kathryn raised her eyebrows and regarded Regina for a long moment.

"If you could watch Henry for a little bit? I just want to make sure that Miss Swan hasn't sustained any further injuries and I'll be back to pick him up."

"Sure, of course, Henry can stay as long as he wants. Just call me and let me know if everything is alright."

Kathryn briefly reached out and squeezed Regina's forearm. Regina smiled and nodded. She pulled Henry into a quick hug and walked back to the car parked in Kathryn's driveway.

Emma had her eyes closed, head tilted back while one hand was firmly planted against her side. Regina frowned as she settled behind the steering wheel.

"In how much pain are you?"

Emma opened her eyes and turned to look at her, she parted her lips to reply but Regina cut her off.

"The truth."

Emma huffed. "It hurts, pretty bad, and I admit that I'd appreciate some pain killers."

Regina nodded and started the car.

"How about you? The truth please."

Regina tilted her head to the side, eyebrow raised. "Everything feels slightly sore, but I'll be fine. The cut is just superficial and won't need stitches."

Emma hummed and closed her eyes again. She was silent during the rest of the ride. Meanwhile Regina was trying to ignore her pounding headache as best as she could, focusing on just getting to the hospital.

Once there Whale could take care of Emma and she could snatch some Aspirin before she went to get Henry. A nice long hot bath sounded like a heaven and her painfully quivering muscles agreed. She stopped in the parking lot before helping Emma out of the car. Together they made their way over to the entrance of the hospital. The automatic doors slid open without a sound and the nurse at the front desk immediately jumped up at the sight of them.

"Madame Mayor."

"Call for Whale and have someone bring a wheelchair."

The nurse nodded toward a young man in a blue scrub and snatched up a phone while Regina let go of Emma so that she could sit in one of the uncomfortable orange plastic chairs. Emma looked around with her lips pulled into a small frown before she gazed at Regina.

"So who's this Whale?"

"He's a doctor here and unfortunately the best we have. He'll determine whether you need to stay here for a while or can leave, assuming you don't have any internal injuries."

Emma's eyes widened. "Stay here? No, oh no. I'm perfectly fine really, I don't need to stay."

"That's not for you to decide."

"But… but I…," Emma began to protest, uncharacteristically fidgety.

Whale walked briskly toward them and eyed Emma up and down with a small smile before turning to Regina. "How may I be of service Madame Mayor?"

Regina frowned at Whale's blatant stare and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Miss Swan here needs a thorough check-up. Her ribs are most likely bruised if not broken, her knee is scraped and you will make sure she does not have concussion before releasing her."

Whale raised an eyebrow at Emma and cocked his head to the side. "What exactly have you been doing?"

"Uh well –"

"Unless it is medically necessary, that's none of your concern," Regina interrupted just as a nurse brought a wheelchair over to them.

"I will leave you to it," Regina said.

She turned away from Whale and Emma, but fingers around her wrist stopped her. She looked down at the point of contact and followed along Emma's outstretched arm all the way up to her eyes.

"Miss Swan?"

"You need to get checked out as well, you fell and hit your head too. You were bleeding."

"I'm perfectly fine," she answered, irritably brushing her hair out of her face and flinching when she accidently tapped against the gash on her forehead.

"If you don't mind," Whale said and stepped closer to Regina.

She immediately leaned back, bringing as much as distance between them as she could. Whale only frowned and produced a small flashlight from his coat pocket which he shone into Regina's eyes, switching from one to the other. He squinted at the wound on her forehead before stepping back.

"I think you should get at least an MRI Madame Mayor, just to be on the safe side."

Regina narrowed her eyes and dragged her tongue across the inside of her cheek. Whale was probably making such a fuss because he was hoping for more funds flowing his way in the next term. She sighed.

"Fine."

"I'll arrange everything, it'll take only a few minutes," Whale said and wandered off.

Regina watched him go with another sigh. She didn't want to waste more time staying in the hospital when she could be heading back home by now. All she wanted was a bath and her bed, and a hug from her son.

"We'll need your insurance information," one of the nurses said to Emma who nodded.

She pulled her worn brown wallet out of a pocket of her jacket and fumbled around for several moments. A couple of small pieces of paper and a driver's license clattered to the floor as Emma pulled out her insurance card.

"Shit," she mumbled and moved forward to pick everything up.

Regina was quicker and simply crouched down to collect the mess. She froze mid-movement when she reached for a slip of paper. Her brow furrowed when she discovered her own handwriting. She picked it up and unfolded it. A small gasp escaped her lips.

It was the note she'd written that morning she'd left Emma in the hotel room. She slowly looked up at Emma who stared back at her wide-eyed. They were silent for several seconds until the nurse cleared her throat. Emma handed her the insurance paper without looking at her, eyes still fixed on Regina.

"You kept it."

"I… yes."

Regina handed all the papers back to Emma and straightened. She closed her eyes and raised her fingers to her temples to massage them carefully. She wasn't in the condition to deal with something like that. The headache was getting worse and she could barely concentrate on anything besides the heavy pounding in her head. She opened her eyes and looked at Emma.

Emma's hands were limply resting on her thighs, her gaze fixed onto something on the floor. Regina sat down in the chair next to her and reached out to tap the tip of her index finger under Emma's chin to turn her head. Blonde hair spilled across her shoulder as she tilted her head to look at Regina.

Regina smiled and let her hand drop to cover the one on Emma's thigh. "I regret the way I left."

Emma gave her a sad smile. "Me too."

"But I have Henry to consider, and I usually don't do anything… like that. Ever."

"Neither do I, and I know, I get it. You're a mom, an amazing one at that, and you're the mayor, which probably comes with a mountain of responsibility. And a reputation. I understand why you don't want me here."

"It's true that I didn't think it was a good idea that you stayed in Storybrooke at first, but…," Regina trailed off, unsure what exactly she was trying to say.

"But what?"

"But I still owe you a date, and you'll have to delay your departure until that is settled. I do not remain in anyone's debt."

A beautiful smile spread across Emma's face as she nodded slowly. "With my car broke and a date in the not too distant future I guess Storybrooke will have me for a little while longer."

Finally feeling like she had done something right, Regina returned the smile. She looked up when a nurse approached them but she just couldn't remember if it was the same one she'd spoken to before.

"Everything is ready. If you get into the wheelchair I'll take you to the examination room, and Madame Mayor if you could follow Jackson over there, he'll take you to the MRI," the nurse said.

Regina was still regarding her with scrunched brows. She couldn't for the life of her remember how the nurse to whom Emma had given her insurance papers looked like.

"You okay?" Emma asked quietly and Regina immediately nodded.

She got up from the chair and smoothed down the front of her jacket. "Yes, I will see you in a bit."

She looked briefly at Emma and turned to walk over to the young man who gestured with his hand for her to take the lead down the corridor. She'd forgotten his name.

She silently went through the motions as she was prepared for the MRI and then had to lay still for a certain amount of time so that they could do whatever these people did when they looked at pictures of her brain.

By the time they were done and she was allowed to go back to the waiting room she knew something wasn't right. She couldn't remember which of Emma's legs had gotten injured and the nurses were all starting to look the same. She never paid much attention to people unless they had some relevance, but that didn't mean she didn't remember their faces.

"Where's Whale?" Regina asked the woman at the front desk.

She looked up at with a little fear glistening in her eyes at Regina's tone. "He's in the examination room with Miss Swan."

"Which one?"

"Number three, but you can't go in there."

Regina didn't even wait for the woman to finish speaking, she simply stalked down the corridor and entered the room without as much as a knock. The sight on the other side of the door startled her into immobility for several seconds. Emma and Whale were both staring at her. Emma had stripped down to a black bra and gray boy shorts so Whale could examine her injuries. Regina's eyes briefly traveled over Emma's body, the dark bruises on her side, down to her knee. It was the left one.

"Madame Mayor this is a medical examination, I must ask you to leave."

"A word Whale, now."

He sighed and handed Emma a blue hospital gown.

"I'll be right back."

"Okay," Emma answered slowly, moving to cover herself with the flimsy gown.

Regina stepped out of the room and blinked. She felt lightheaded and swayed right where she stood. She pressed the palm of her hand against her brow and turned around to Whale who was closing the door behind him.

"What was so important that couldn't –"

He was interrupted by Regina stumbling forward and into him. He rested his hands on her shoulders and steadied her.

"Madame Mayor, are you feeling dizzy? Nauseated?"

Regina was having a hard time focusing. "I can't remember… what is going on? Something is wrong."

She started to blink her eyes more rapidly to clear away the darkness encroaching on her vision from every side.

"I need a cot here, right now," Whale yelled as Regina reached out a hand to steady herself against the wall.

"You think you can stand?" Whale asked, moving to walk down the corridor since nobody seemed to have heard his call.

"Of course," Regina hissed.

As soon as Whale let go of her to sprint down the hallway she tilted forward. The door in front of her opened and Emma appeared dressed in that ridiculous hospital gown.

"Regina, what's going on?"

She tried to answer, she was sure she could explain that she wasn't feeling well and just needed to sit down for a moment and everything would be just fine, but instead of speaking actual words she groaned quietly as her headache became so painful that her legs gave out. Surprisingly strong arms wrapped around her and slowly lowered her to the ground. She was cradled against Emma, her head resting against the crook of Emma's neck. For a moment the headache seemed less intense.

"God Regina," Emma said, her breath ghosting across the top of Regina's head.

"It's just a headache," she said quietly and felt Emma chuckle, Regina's cheek bumping against her chest.

"Yeah I don't think so. Next time just let my ass drop off the horse by itself okay?"

Regina smiled and closed her eyes. Emma's proximity was helping the pounding pain in her temples. The familiar scent was calming and her heartbeat slowed, ceasing to sound like an entire drum set inside of her skull.

"Alright, let's get you up and on that nice cot Whale has hauled over here," Emma murmured and shifted Regina in her arms to better support her weight.

"I am very well capable of getting up myself," Regina protested but held on to Emma as she got to her feet. Emma only smiled and assisted her in getting up and onto the cot. The world was spinning around her. The white lamps on the ceiling dimmed and brightened in rhythm with her pounding headache until Emma's face appeared in her line of sight. Her brows were drawn and she bit down on her bottom lip for a moment.

"You need to get better okay? I'll be here when they're done with you."

She then leaned down and pressed her lips against the corner of Regina's mouth. Regina reached up and cupped Emma's cheek in her palm. She didn't care that probably half of the hospital staff was watching.

"Thank you."

Emma smiled and turned her head so she could press her lips against Regina's palm, cradling the hand in her own. "Just be okay."

"I am."

Emma let go of Regina stepped back, allowing a nurse to push the cot away and down the corridor. Regina kept watching the lamps on the ceiling as they flickered by.

She had absolutely no idea how she was going get rid of Emma Swan without breaking her own damn heart along the way.


	14. This Lonely Girl In The Rain

"I don't know if she's awake yet, okay kid? We're just going to go in, have a look and then we might have to let your mom sleep for a bit longer."

"Because of the headache she had?" Henry asked, his worried eyes glancing up at her as she walked down the hospital corridor beside him.

"Yeah exactly."

"It's probably a concussion right?"

Emma nodded. Smart kid.

They reached the door one of the nurses had indicated and Emma took a quiet breath before closing her hand around the doorknob and pushing it open. Henry rushed past her in the blink of an eye and she stumbled forward and into the room.

"Mom."

Henry hurried over to the bed where Regina was pushing herself up into a sitting position. Her hair was disheveled and she was wearing one of the light blue hospital gowns. White dressing was placed on the gash on her forehead and Emma winced at the sight. Regina pushed the hospital blanket down to her waist and smiled at Henry.

"How are you dear?"

"I'm fine, but what about you? What did the doctors say? Do you have a concussion?"

Regina raised her eyebrows and looked over at Emma who only shrugged. "Yes, I hit my head harder than I first thought, but there is nothing to worry about. I'm going to have to stay until tomorrow, just to be sure, and then we'll go home, okay?"

Regina pulled Henry to her so that he was sitting on the bed, his head resting on her shoulder.

"Okay. Can I stay with Emma until then?"

Regina looked down at Henry and pressed a quick kiss against the side of his head. "If Miss Swan agrees."

"Sure, yeah, I mean it's not like I have anything else to do."

Emma had been released from the hospital two hours after Regina had been wheeled away by Whale. She'd simply taken Regina's car to drive straight to Kathryn and Henry to tell them what was going on. Henry had insisted that he wanted to be there when Regina was done with whatever examinations she had to undergo and they'd gone right back to the hospital together. Even though it had taken several more hours until they were allowed to see Regina they'd stuck around waiting for Whale to tell them any details.

"How did you get in here? I thought visiting hours were over," Regina said, glancing from Henry to Emma.

"I managed to convince the nurse that the mayor's family should be allowed to go in whenever they want, you know position of power and all that."

Emma smirked but realized what she'd said after a moment and cleared her throat.

"I mean Henry should be allowed to see you whenever, and since I happened to be there…," she trailed off and shrugged awkwardly.

Regina regarded her for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly before she hugged Henry closer to her and gestured for Emma to take a seat.

Emma dragged one of the chairs closer to the bed and grimaced as she lowered herself to sit.

"What about you? What did Whale say?" Regina asked, slightly inclining her head.

Emma smiled and held up her thumb. "I'm okay. My ribs are just bruised, it'll heal in time. My knee got a little scraped, other than that I'm good as new."

"I'm happy to hear it."

"Yeah, I'd be happier if you could say the same."

"I suppose your head is just harder than mine."

Emma chuckled and leaned back in the chair. She watched Regina and Henry as they talked quietly, reassuring each other that they were alright and everything would be fine. Henry didn't seem too deterred by what had happened because he was already babbling about the next time they could go riding again. Emma wasn't going to get back onto a horse anytime soon and if it was up to her she would keep Regina and Henry from them too. But then again they loved riding and nothing would probably stop them from going back.

Henry's stomach grumbled quietly and Regina smiled at him. "Have you had dinner yet?"

He shook his head and his grumbling belly agreed.

"It's already past dinner time but I'm sure Miss Swan will take care of it."

Henry turned to look at Emma. "Can you make lasagna?"

"Uh…no."

"Chicken parmesan?"

"No."

"Ground beef –"

"No I can't," Emma interrupted, "I'm total klutz in the kitchen kid and last time I tried making something I actually set the pan on fire. I didn't even know pans could burn like that. How about Granny's instead?"

"That would certainly be the safer option," Regina commented, "I'd prefer if you didn't endanger my son's life by trying to make food that is most likely going to taste abhorrent."

Emma sucked in an offended breath and rose from her chair. She tossed her hair back over her shoulder and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Who says it would taste bad when I managed to make it?"

"Granny's is fine," Henry said, looking from Emma to Regina.

Regina was the one to look away first and she smiled at Henry as he jumped down from the bed. "Enjoy your dinner then, and I will see you tomorrow as soon as I can get out of here."

Henry hugged her tightly before scurrying to the door and out into the hallway.

"You took my car?" Regina asked quietly.

Emma nodded. "Is that okay? I mean I wanted to get to Henry as soon I could –"

"It's fine, keep it until tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have said to keep it if I wasn't," Regina replied with a small smirk.

Emma cleared her throat and stepped closer to the bed. She leaned down toward Regina who moved away from her.

"What are you doing?"

Emma grimaced, still standing awkwardly bent over the side of the bed.

"I was trying to say goodbye," she mumbled and shook her head. She retreated and shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket. Before she could get too far away, Regina grabbed a hold of the front of her jacket and pulled her back down. She pressed her lips against the corner of Emma's mouth and smiled.

"Goodbye Miss Swan."

Emma felt heat spreading along her neck and she tried to hide her pleased smile by pressing her lips firmly together.

"Bye."

She turned on her heel and walked out of the room, hurrying after Henry.

Henry was happy enough with dinner at Granny's but Emma wasn't hungry at all. The pain killers were making her feel a little nauseated and she was just picking at her sandwich disinterestedly. It occurred to her halfway through the dinner that she was going to have to sleep on Regina's couch because Henry could hardly share her bed at the Bed and Breakfast.

The last time she'd been in the huge house she'd felt completely out of her element and waiting for Regina to come home and find her watching a movie with Henry had turned the entire thing into an ordeal. Thankfully Regina hadn't seemed too angry. But she would be when Emma kept encroaching on her space.

She liked to think that they had a kind of truce. Regina had agreed to have an actual date and that moment at the hospital had to mean something. It did to Emma.

After Henry had slurped his hot cocoa for dessert, she drove them to the house and Henry whipped out his keys to let them in. He hurried up the stairs without taking off his shoes and Emma stared shocked. What if Regina found dirt on her floor after Emma had spent a single night in her immaculately clean house? That wouldn't do. So she took off her boots and hung her jacket into the wardrobe before following Henry to the upper level, glancing down to see if there were any stains.

She exhaled quietly as she reached the top of the stairs. She looked down the hallway, concluding that the half open door must lead to Henry's room. She found him sitting on his bed, thankfully without shoes, rifling through his backpack.

"Hey, everything okay? Just wanted to let you know that I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Okay, do you want to sleep in the guest room?" Henry asked, looking up.

"No, don't worry about it. I'll just stay in the living room."

"Alright, I'll go to bed in a bit."

"Do you need me to like tuck you in or something?" Emma asked, still standing in the doorway, fidgeting with her hands. She'd never been in a situation like this and she wasn't entirely sure what was expected of her.

Henry smirked. "No. Mom still comes up to tell me goodnight every day but I'm old enough to get ready by myself Emma."

"Just making sure, well then goodnight kid."

"Night."

Emma smiled at Henry and then quietly turned around.

"Hey Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"Mom will be okay right?"

Emma stepped back into the room and nodded with a smile. "Of course, you know how she wouldn't ever let anything get her down. She'll be back tomorrow."

"Okay."

Henry seemed satisfied with that answer and Emma left the room. She glanced at the closed doors of the hallway before sneaking back downstairs. She had no idea why she was trying to be quiet but she had the feeling that noise would disturb the silent atmosphere of the house.

Emma went to the living and sat down on the plush black couch, successfully fighting the urge to explore more of Regina's home. She flipped the television on and just let the noise of some odd show envelop her. She was exhausted from the day she'd had and the pain meds were doing the rest.

The next thing she knew was Henry poking her shoulder, his face closer to hers than she'd anticipated. He grinned at her and she flopped around the couch until she sat up with a groan, carefully resting a hand against her side.

"What? What time is it?"

"It's six thirty," Henry announced, still in his PJs.

"Then why in the world are you up?"

Emma was still having a hard time making sense of the thoughts in her head. It took her a moment to remember that she'd fallen asleep on Regina's couch. The TV was still on.

"I have school, you have to take me."

"Now?"

"No in like half an hour. I'll just have cereal for breakfast and get ready."

"Okay, alright, yes I'll be ready too," Emma mumbled.

The sleep haze was still too thick for her to make sense of much, but she realized that she had about thirty minutes to get her act together and bring Henry to school. Why hadn't anyone told her about this?

She slowly got up from the couch and attempted to raise her arms above her head to get rid of the kinks in her neck and back but she was stopped mid-movement by a piercing pain in her side. She let her arms fall to her sides again and rolled her shoulders instead. This was not going to be a good day.

After getting a little freshened up in the downstairs bathroom, Emma joined Henry for breakfast in the kitchen. She didn't want to use Regina's fancy looking coffee machine and opted for getting a coffee from Granny's later instead. She wasn't much of a coffee person, at least not when she got enough sleep, but some days she just couldn't go without.

Henry was chatting about the project that was going on at school, successfully distracting himself and Emma from the fact that Regina was still in the hospital. By herself. Emma's stomach did an odd flip at the thought. She hated hospitals and knowing that Regina had to stay overnight without anyone to keep her company made her feel slightly panicked even though she wasn't the one forced to stay there.

"I'll go see your mom after I drop you off," Emma announced and Henry raised an eyebrow, reminding her so much of his mother.

"I don't think they have visiting hours yet."

"But that didn't stop us yesterday did it?"

"Right. I'm glad you're gonna be with her."

Emma swallowed at Henry's statement and raked a hand through her hair. "Yeah?"

"So she has some company you know."

"Sure, of course."

It occurred to Emma that she had no idea where exactly Henry's school was as she backed out of Regina's driveway. He had to direct her through Storybrooke until she stopped in front of a large two-story building. Emma clambered out of the car when Henry got out and hurried over to two kids, a boy and a girl, that seemed to be siblings.

"Have a good day," she called after him and sighed as he waved at her before following his friends into the building.

"Good morning," a quiet voice said from beside Emma and she jumped back against her car.

A pixie-haired woman glanced at her with wide eyes. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to say hello."

Emma took a quiet breath and forced a small smile onto her face. "It's okay, don't worry."

"Good. I'm Mary-Margaret Blanchard, Henry's teacher," she said, holding a hand out to Emma who shook it briefly.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Emma."

"So, I saw you brought Henry to school today," Mary-Margaret said slowly, looking around as if he expected Regina to pop up out of nowhere, "and I couldn't help but notice that this is quite unusual. Madame Mayor always takes Henry to school."

Emma raised her eyebrows and fingered her car keys. "Well, she couldn't this morning so I took care of it."

Mary-Margaret blushed and ducked her head, turning away as the bell chimed.

"Good, that's good. I have to go. It was nice meeting you Emma."

"Yeah, you too," Emma said as she watched Mary-Margaret hurry off and into the school building.

Odd.

Emma shrugged and walked back to her car. It probably looked strange to the citizens of a town this small that someone other than Regina took Henry to school, in her absence no less, but Emma hardly cared about what these people were thinking. All that mattered was that Henry was alright and that Regina wanted her to stay.

On her way to the hospital she stopped at Granny's to get her coffee. She pointedly avoided making small talk with Ruby, claiming that she had somewhere important to be. Ruby shot her an amused look and remained silent. Instead she added an extra shot of vanilla flavor to her coffee. Emma ignored it, assuming that she'd confused her order, and paid.

Back in the car she downed a couple of pain killers with a sip of water from a bottle she found under her seat, wincing at the taste. Her side was feeling sore. The pain made every movement unpleasant but it was dull enough for her to mostly ignore. She'd hardly had any problems with it before falling off the horse, but now it would take even longer for her bruised ribs to heal. Emma sighed. At least Regina had prevented anything worse from happening to her, risking her own health in the rescue attempt.

With the pain killers numbing the ache in her side even further, Emma drove straight to the hospital without taking a sip of her coffee. Instead she took it with her into the building.

There was absolutely no nurse to be seen and no one attempted to stop her on her way through the corridors. She made it to Regina's room and knocked quietly. Maybe Regina was still sleeping since it was fairly early.

A muffled "Come in," sounded from inside. Emma slowly pushed the door open and stepped into the room, a smile on her face.

Regina sat propped up in bed, a slight scowl on her face.

"I see you once again managed to bypass the regulations pertaining visiting hours."

Emma immediately froze on her way over to the bed and frowned. "I can come back later if you want…?"

"No, that's fine. I've been waiting for Whale to show his face here to finally discharge me, but I was told that he wouldn't be in until after lunch."

"Can't you just leave?"

"A nurse informed me that there are some tests I was supposed to get done. To make sure I am really in the shape to leave."

Emma nodded as she walked over to the chair and sat down, leaning forward and watching Regina. She looked tired, her hair was tousled from sleep and without any make-up the dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible.

"How was your night?"

"As good as you would expect it to be with the smells and sounds here," Regina answered with a sigh, "I wish I could leave."

"Yeah I can imagine," Emma said and took a sip from her coffee she was still holding.

Regina turned her head and looked at the cup. "Is that vanilla?"

Emma raised her eyebrows and nodded. She held the cup out to Regina. "Would you like some?"

Regina crinkled her nose but grabbed the offered cup and took a sip. She sighed quietly and closed her eyes.

"Wait, are you allowed to have coffee?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, some medical thing."

"I'm fine Emma."

Emma smiled at the way Regina said her name and leaned back in her chair, leaving the coffee to Regina.

"So how did Henry's and your evening go? I forgot to mention the spare bedroom, I'm sure Henry showed you."

"Yeah he said something about that," Emma answered slowly. Regina didn't have to know that she'd slept on the couch. Her neck was still aching from the awkward position.

"And we did alright. Had dinner at Granny's and he did everything else, getting ready for bed and all that."

Regina nodded to herself and took another sip of the coffee. Her shoulders were tense and Emma was sure she was not entirely comfortable with the idea of her being alone with Henry. But she obviously trusted Emma and it was a strange feeling to know that Regina had enough confidence in her to let her take care of Henry for a night.

"Did you take him to school?"

"Yep, on time."

"I wasn't thinking clearly yesterday, I should've asked Kathryn to take him for the night and not burden you with all that."

Emma scrunched her brows and shook her head. "What? No. I like spending time with Henry, he's a really bright kid, everyone would be happy to be around him."

Regina raised the coffee cup back to her lips and Emma saw her hand trembling ever so slightly. She didn't hesitate and got up from her chair to move over and perch on the side of the bed. Regina glanced up at her, lowering her cup to rest against her thigh.

"I know why you're scared," Emma said quietly.

Regina sucked in a quick breath, her eyes widened and almost every drop of blood drained from her face. She looked like she was on the verge of passing out.

"Hey, it's okay, listen to me," Emma said, she scooted closer and rested her hand on Regina's blanket-covered thigh next to the coffee cup, "you worry about Henry. He is your son, your everything, I can see that, and I know you don't want to introduce anyone into his life who will eventually leave him. But I didn't stay because I want to break his little heart, I would never do that. Even if I left town, I would still stay in contact, visit. It's not like I would just disappear one day, I promise."

Regina was taking a couple of deep breaths, her eyes searching Emma's face for several seconds, before a small smile settled on her lips.

"Thank you. For saying that."

"I don't want you to worry. And I won't just leave."

Regina reached around Emma to put the coffee cup down on the small bedside table and then scooted to the side, looking at her with an unsure expression.

"Would you just… stay for a moment?"

"Of course, I mean I can wait until you get discharged and take you to your house," Emma answered with a small nod.

Regina smirked and shook her head.

"Thank you, but I meant," she glanced down at the space between them, "here."

Emma immediately felt warmth spreading across her neck and smiled sheepishly. She shrugged out of her leather jacket and tossed it over to the chair where it landed with a dull thud. She moved to sit back against the headboard, shoes resting on top of the blanket. Regina hesitantly moved closer until she could rest her head against Emma's shoulder. Emma delighted in the feeling of having Regina so close. She reached around her body to wrap her into a light embrace. Regina moved so that she was pressed against her side, her breath tickling across Emma's collarbone.

Emma smiled and rested her cheek against silky black hair. This felt right. As unexpected as it had come, she knew this was something she'd never known where to look for.


	15. Fate Tell Me It's Right

"Can we get a hot chocolate please?" Henry asked.

Emma glanced at him from the corners of her eyes. Granny's had more or less become her main source of nutrition ever since she'd come to Storybrooke and in the last couple of days Ruby had started being able to tell what she was in the mood for by the look on her face. It was almost creepy. The food however was amazing, as was Ruby's hot cocoa with whipped cream and extra cinnamon.

"Sure kid, we'll have one before we go get your mom."

Henry beamed at her and Emma frowned at the cars parked in front of Granny's. She was trying to find a parking spot for the Benz but half the town had seemingly decided that this would be a good time to have lunch at the small diner.

"How about you go in and order while I park?"

Emma stopped and waited until Henry had unbuckled his seatbelt and was on his way toward the entrance.

She sighed and looked around again. There, a Jeep was pulling out of a parking space. Just as she was pushing down on the gas, driving toward the now vacated spot, a sleek silver Mercedes got in her way. It stopped several feet away from the hood of Regina's car on its way into the parking space, forcing her to halt as well.

"Come on, get out of the damn way, that is my spot," Emma called.

She slowly inched forward until the Mercedes driver relented and pulled away from the parking space. Emma swiftly pulled into the spot and jumped out, throwing a dirty glare in the direction of the silver car that was still circling around.

The side window slowly rolled down, revealing a woman with brown hair piled on top of her head. A perfectly shaped eyebrow rose and Emma huffed. She turned on her heel and walked into the diner.

Henry was already sitting at the bar with a hot chocolate in front of him. Emma joined him and rested her elbows on the bar, huffing again.

"What's gotten into you?" Ruby asked as she stopped in front of them.

"I had to basically fight dragon lady for a parking spot out there. I thought this was a friendly small town."

Ruby's eyes widened and she jerked her chin toward something behind her. Emma gulped and slowly turned only to be faced with the woman driving the silver Mercedes. Emma opened her mouth but snapped it shut a second later. She watched everything that happened afterward with utter horror.

"Grandma," Henry exclaimed and launched himself off the barstool and into the older woman's arms. A smile spread across her clear-cut face and she hugged Henry against herself, patting his head with a black leather gloved hand.

Emma's mouth fell open. What. The. Hell.

"Hello dear, it's so good to see you."

"Uh oh," Ruby mumbled from somewhere behind her and slowly scurried off to serve coffee to the next person down the bar.

"What are you doing here grandma?"

"I came to see you of course, you and your mom," the woman replied.

The smile on her face was genuine and reminded Emma so much of how Regina looked at her son. Emma's gaze swept around the small diner, looking for a way to escape since no hole would open in the ground and just swallow her whole.

"Who are you here with sweetie?"

Here it comes, Emma thought. Henry turned around and looked at her. She tried to subtly shake her head, make the kid understand that he was signing her death sentence, but none of her panic seemed to get through to him.

"I'm here with Emma. She's staying with me until we can pick up mom."

"From the hospital?" the older woman asked.

Henry raised his eyebrows. "How'd you know?"

"Well since my own daughter doesn't deem it necessary to call me when she gets injured, it was Doctor Whale who contacted me. No worries sweetheart, I'll take care of everything now."

The woman smiled at Henry again and then raised her head to look at Emma. No friendly smile, no handshake, no 'nice to meet you'.

"So you must be Emma. I'm sorry but my daughter has never mentioned you before."

Emma opened her mouth but Henry was quick to reply. "Emma is a friend of mom's and she watches me until mom gets released from the hospital. It was the easiest thing to do."

The woman inclined her head. "I see. Well I am Cora Mills, Regina's mother and I will be taking care of Henry now."

Emma clenched her jaw and squared her shoulders. That Cora person had no right to come barging in like that. Of course Emma had absolutely no claim on Henry either, but Regina had entrusted him into her care, hers alone.

"But we were gonna get mom right now," Henry replied in his ever so brilliant innocence. "How about you wait for us at home and we'll surprise her?"

Henry beamed at his own idea and happily bounced up and down. Cora eyed her warily for several moments before nodding.

"Fine. I will get everything ready for Regina while you bring her straight to the house."

It sounded like a command, but Emma wasn't about to protest. She just wanted to get to Regina before her mother did.

Cora leaned down and pressed a kiss to Henry's cheek. "I will see you in a little bit, darling."

She curtly glanced in Emma's direction and gave her small barely perceptible nod which Emma returned with just as much enthusiasm. Cora held her head high as she strode out of the diner, several sets of eyes following her.

Emma breathed a tiny sigh of relief. "That's your grandmother huh?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah, she's pretty cool."

"I think icy is more the word I'd use," Emma mumbled. Henry hadn't heard her and simply rambled on.

"She actually lives in New York, so she must've flown here. I see her couple of times every year, for holidays and stuff."

"Here you go," Ruby said from behind them.

She put two portable cups with hot chocolate down on the counter and leaned forward.

"You okay?" she asked Emma quietly while Henry grabbed his hot cocoa and slurped noisily.

"Aside from the fact that Regina's mother, of all people, hates me now, yeah, just fine."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to upset mommy-in-law either if I were you."

"Exactly. Wait, what?"

Emma stared at Ruby who chuckled quietly.

"Come on Emma, let's go," Henry called from the general vicinity of the door. Emma narrowed her eyes at Ruby and leaned forward across the counter. "We're not done here."

"Of course," Ruby answered with a smirk while Emma followed after Henry with a frown.

On the drive to the hospital Henry told Emma everything about how awesome Cora was and how she always brought the most amazing Christmas presents. She learned that Regina's mother was in fact a renowned cardiac surgeon, head of her own department. It seemed like the women in the Mills were successful in their careers and selective with people they allowed into their lives. Emma just had a feeling about Cora that she was fiercely protective, not unlike Regina, and that she wouldn't want someone like Emma entering the lives of her daughter and grandson. Well if she thought she could easily get rid of Emma then she had another thing coming.

Emma tightened her grip around the steering wheel and nodded sporadically at what Henry was saying.

By the time they pulled in to the hospital's parking lot they found Regina standing outside already waiting for them. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest, her purse dangling from her forearm.

"Shit," Emma cursed under her breath and immediately got out of the car after killing the engine.

"I'm sorry we're late," she said as she hurried around the car to Regina.

In his excitement Henry flung the door on his side open, almost knocking Regina over. He jumped right into her arms and hugged her tightly.

"It's alright, they were early. Quickness is usually not something associated with Storybrooke's hospital," Regina answered with a small smile as she held Henry tightly.

Her lower lip quivered slightly and Emma realized that she was shivering in her dark coat. Without thinking she stepped up to her as Henry moved to look at them. Emma wrapped an arm around Regina's shoulders and used her free hand to rub up and down her arm.

"How long have you been standing out here?"

"Not long."

Regina tried to shrug it off but still leaned into Emma for warmth. Henry grinned up at them and Emma raised an eyebrow at his smug smirk.

"Hey Henry, how about you get your mom a tea from inside? I'll get the car to warm up too."

"Okay."

He hurried toward the hospital entrance without another word, obviously determined to figure out how to get tea by himself. Emma smiled after his retreating form and then turned to Regina who was still shivering. She used both hands to rub up and down Regina's arms.

"It's actually supposed to be a surprise but I don't think you're the kind of person to enjoy surprises too much. Your mother is waiting for you at your house."

Regina's shoulders immediately stiffened and her eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah, Henry and I just ran into her."

"Does she know what happened?"

"Apparently Whale called her."

Regina's face darkened. "That little –"

"Mom, I got your tea," Henry announced as he rejoined them, handing the cup to Regina who took it with a smile.

"Thank you dear."

Emma reluctantly let go of Regina, receiving a small thankful smile, before she waited for Henry and then Regina to climb into the car. As she sat behind the steering wheel she cranked up the heat to warm them up. Beside her Regina was staring out the window.

"So what did the doctors say? Are you completely okay?" Henry asked from the backseat.

Regina turned to face him. Only a small band-aid still reminded of the gash on her forehead.

"Yes I'm okay. No signs of any kind of damage. All I have to do is take it easy for a couple of days and I'll be perfectly fine."

"And your head?"

"Just a minor concussion. Nothing for you to worry about dear."

"So will you be off work?"

Regina raised her eyebrows. "I guess so."

"Cool," Henry said with small smile as he leaned back.

Regina gave him a look and then turned to face Emma. She obviously wasn't happy, but whether that was because her mother was in town and conspired with her son to surprise her or because she'd spent a night in the hospital and now had to stay away from work Emma couldn't tell. She was just the designated driver. The Benz still felt too big for her, hell she could hardly see the tip of the hood and was constantly afraid to hit something. Like lamp posts, or hydrants, or people, and since it was Regina's car Emma thought of them in the order of the size of dents they would leave.

"I appreciate you picking me up and taking care of Henry," Regina said quietly.

Emma nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. "No problem at all, honestly, I owe you after that stunt with the horse."

Emma grinned briefly at Regina and reached over to pat her thigh. She smiled to herself at their reversed positions. It didn't feel like two months since Regina had stopped on the road that rainy night.

They made it to Regina's house and Henry was out of the door like a flash. He hurried to the front door and bounced up and down, waving for them to get out of the car.

"You don't have to come inside you know. Keep the car until yours is fixed," Regina said quietly.

Emma was tempted to leave. She had no desire at all to see the older Mills again, but she felt like Regina could use her support more than she could use a respite from Cora.

"I'll just come in for a moment," Emma answered, turning her head to look at Regina.

"Act surprised, okay? Henry's really excited about the idea of your mom surprising you."

Regina sighed quietly and nodded before she got out of the car. Emma did the same and followed her closely up the path to the front door. Henry was already waiting for them as the door swung open, revealing a smiling Cora.

"Surprise," Henry called and turned to them with a broad grin.

Regina put a hand to her chest, mouth slightly hanging open. "Mother."

If Emma didn't know any better she really would've thought Regina was shocked to see her mother standing in the door. Cora stepped forward and inclined her head, the small smile on her lips died as she took in the band-aid on Regina's forehead and her overall appearance, wrinkled clothes and all. Emma picked a piece of straw from the back of Regina's jacket without any of the others noticing.

"Hello dear, it's good to see you. I only would've liked the occasion to be a different one," Cora said.

"Aren't you working?" Regina asked. She was still staring at her mother without making a move to go into the house.

"I took a few days off, of course, and came to take care of you."

Regina nodded and accepted the hug Henry was bestowing upon her.

"Isn't that great? Now we can spend time with grandma and Emma."

It was as if the Mills family had completely forgotten about her until Henry had mentioned her name and three pairs of eyes turned in Emma's direction.

"Mother, may I introduce Emma Swan," Regina offered.

Cora nodded with little enthusiasm. "We've met. Well thank you Miss Swan for bringing my daughter home, have a pleasant day."

It was clearly a dismissal but Emma decided to not be insulted by it since Regina looked scandalized on her behalf.

"Mother, Emma is more than welcome to come inside and have a coffee after going through the trouble of getting me from the hospital."

Henry nodded and moved over to stand beside Cora.

"Yeah and then mom can tell you all about how she jumped off the horse to save Emma."

Cora's eyes widened as her gaze traveled from Regina to Emma and back.

"She did what?"


	16. Is This Love

Cora was waiting for her in her study. A glass filled with amber liquid in her hand, she gazed out of one of the windows, her back turned to Regina.

"I tucked him in and he's fast asleep," Regina said as she walked to her desk to pour herself a glass as well. Cora turned and moved over to her, raising a hand to brush a strand of hair away from her face.

"Good. And I am glad you are alright dear. No mother wants to get a call from the hospital telling her that her only child has been admitted."

Regina smiled and briefly leaned into the touch. "That is exactly why I didn't call you. I didn't want you to worry since it was nothing too serious."

"Not serious? You fainted Regina."

"I did not."

Cora raised an eyebrow at her and she huffed quietly, stepping around her mother to pour herself a glass of scotch. "Well I do know that you are stubborn and rather solve your problems on your own than involving anyone and asking for help. However what I do not know is how exactly this Emma Swan person fits into all of this."

Regina took a sip from her glass and walked over to the couch to sit down. "It's complicated."

"Isn't it always?" Cora asked as she followed to sit next to her.

Regina sighed and cradled the glass against her chest. Did she dare tell her? But if she couldn't even share her secret with her mother, who else would understand?

"Emma… I basically picked her up from the side of the road."

Cora gasped and stared at Regina who looked back with raised eyebrows. That fact alone shouldn't be such an awful thing to begin with.

"Do you mean to tell me that… that she is… a prostitute?" Cora whispered the last part with a wide-eyed look.

Regina stared completely dumbfounded for several seconds until she burst out laughing. The scotch in her glass sloshed back and forth along with her heaving shoulders.

"Mother, why in all the world would you think that?"

"You just told me yourself that you picked her up from beside the road and we all know what that means," Cora said with a small huff.

"In this case it means that there was a rainstorm and Emma was trying to hitchhike to the next town," Regina answered, still chuckling with every word.

"And you stopped for a stranger by the road? That's unlike you."

"Oh and picking up a prostitute is not?"

Cora hid a snort by taking a sip from her own glass as she waved her hand. "I was wrong to jump to conclusions I admit, continue please."

Regina smirked and shook her head. She could already imagine Emma's face if she told her that her mother had readily assumed she was a prostitute.

"So yes, I stopped and I fully intended to take her to the next town but the rainstorm got worse so we had to stop at a hotel for the night."

"Regina you do realize that your story does not really contradict my first assumption," Cora remarked with a raised eyebrow.

Regina shot her a sharp look and Cora casually shrugged one shoulder. Regina decided to ignore the comment. "Coincidentally we met again after that and somehow Emma ended up coming to Storybrooke. The rest, well, it's not hard to figure out. However…"

Regina raised her hand to her mouth and bit down on the fingernail of her thumb in thought. Cora leaned forward and rested a hand on her thigh, silently encouraging her to continue. Regina took a quiet breath and released it between her teeth.

"She is Henry's biological mother."

Cora gasped quietly and shot up from her sitting position. "Regina that is not funny."

"No, it's not."

"You can't be serious."

Regina looked up at her mother with a pained expression. "I am."

"But… but I don't understand, does she know? Does Henry know?"

"No."

"Oh Regina."

"I know, I know."

Cora shook her head and sat down again, wrapping both arms around her. Regina leaned her head against Cora's shoulder and breathed a silent sigh.

"How am I going to fix this?"

"I can't answer that but I am here for you, whatever you need."

"Thank you."

That night Regina went to bed with a strange mixture of feelings swirling around in her head. She was relieved to finally have told someone, but she also knew that she couldn't go on like this. The truth had a tendency to surface and Henry and Emma would never forgive her should they find out what she was hiding from them.

How could she tell Emma? She'd given up a baby eleven years ago and probably had no intentions of ever seeing her child again. But she liked Henry, she'd said so herself. What if she suddenly decided that she regretted her decision?

She had no legal claims on Henry, but the thought alone made Regina's chest tighten uncomfortably.

She was still gazing at the ceiling by the time the first rays of the sun crept into her room. Another sleepless night wouldn't make her day any longer but she would be exhausted by the time she got out of the office. She sighed and moved to get up until she remembered that she actually didn't have to go into work. She reached up and carefully trailed her fingertips across the band-aid on her forehead. She knew the stitches underneath would be removed soon but it would surely scar.

The last time she'd been in such an accident it had also left a scar. Her fingers moved down her cheek to her upper lip for a few seconds until she dropped it next to her on the bed. She would head into the office anyway to get some folders to work through at home. No one was going to take over her job and despite Aurora being a capable assistant she needed to take care of a few things that just couldn't wait.

She slipped out of bed and walked over to the window to pull the drapes aside. The view on Storybrooke was breathtaking and she enjoyed the feeling of knowing that in some way this was indeed her town. She headed into the bathroom for a quick shower which turned out to be more difficult than she anticipated with the band-aid on her forehead. She managed to wash her hair without getting it too wet but still didn't look much like herself after getting dressed in one of her usual suits. There were dark circles under her eyes that even her make-up couldn't cover up.

She would be back before her mother or Henry were even up and they wouldn't know that she'd been gone at all. She headed down the stairs, shoes dangling from her fingers, and stopped in the foyer.

She stood there for several moments, staring at the front door without moving an inch. She didn't have a car. How was she going to get to town hall without a car?

She glanced around the foyer and saw a set of keys sitting on the small table next to the door. Dare she take her mother's car? She felt like a teenager about to sneak out of the house to go to a party. She sighed quietly and slipped her shoes on. She would be back in no time and Cora would be none the wiser. Unlocking the front door, she opened it and reached for the keys at the same time as a voice almost startled her out of her skin.

"Morning."

She squeaked quietly and took several stumbling steps backward.

"Sorry, I thought you knew I was here," Emma said stepping forward and grasping her forearm with one hand, holding a cup in the other.

"What… what are you doing here?"

"Henry texted me last night. He thought you were going to go out to pick up some work although you're not supposed to. So he asked me to come by and take you. And I brought you coffee," Emma answered, holding the cup out to her like a peace offering.

"He… what?"

Regina usually wasn't this inarticulate, but she had some trouble catching up since her heart was still beating double time in her chest. She hadn't expected anyone waiting for her behind that door.

"He just knows you better than you think. So, ready to go?"

Emma smiled and shoved the cup into Regina's hand before leading her out the door and over to the car. She opened the passenger door with a little bow and waited until Regina got in before slamming it shut and moving to the driver's side.

Regina looked at her with a small frown and Emma turned to face her.

"Are you alright? I'm really sorry for scaring you earlier."

"No that's not… don't worry. I just… you don't have to do this you know. You don't owe me anything. I made you get up on that horse in the first place, the least I could do was make sure you got down without killing yourself."

"I know. And I want to do this, I mean it's not like I've got anything else to do and I like spending time with you. A lot."

Emma smiled at Regina's silence and inclined her head toward the cup in her hand. "With vanilla, you like it that way right?"

Regina nodded and took a sip from the cup, enjoying the taste and warm feeling of the hot liquid settling in her stomach. She knew she couldn't attribute the heat spreading across the rest of her body to it but she refused to acknowledge that Emma's words were making her feel warm all over. She cradled the cup in her hands and leaned back, looking at Storybrooke as it passed by. The silence was not uncomfortable and Regina was reminded of the first time she'd met Emma. They hadn't spoken much either then but somehow she'd understood what was happening between them without having to say anything at all. That hadn't changed.

She didn't realize the car had stopped until Emma rested a hand against her shoulder.

"We're here. You sure you want to go in and get your work, because you could just as well be sick and not do it."

"No one will if I don't."

"Says you."

"You do realize I'm the mayor?"

"How could I forget. But don't you have someone to do this stuff for you?"

"I do, but there's a reason why my assistant is on my payroll and not the other way around."

"Fine, let's just get on with it then. The less time we waste now, the faster you'll be back to relax. With your paperwork. I hope you hear how that sounds."

Regina smiled and got out of the car, Emma following close behind. She made her way into town hall and up to her office.

"Madame Mayor, I didn't think you'd be back that soon," Aurora said as she rose from her chair at the front desk outside of her office.

"She's just here to pick up some stuff," Emma answered before Regina even had the chance to speak. She turned halfway around to glance at Emma who cleared her throat and looked away.

Aurora walked around the desk and glanced up at Regina's forehead and the band-aid there.

"How are you feeling?"

"I am fine, thank you for asking. Do you have the Acheson papers?"

Regina whipped out her keys and unlocked the doors to her office while Aurora moved back to her own desk to rummage through a pile of folders.

"I'll gather everything for you."

Regina nodded and walked into her carefully decorated office. A low whistle sounded from behind her as Emma followed.

"Nice office. Maybe a splash of color would be nice?"

"Are you criticizing my taste in interior design?" Regina asked with a raised eyebrow as she walked over to her desk.

"No I mean it's nice, really, but it kind of looks a little… boring."

Regina was about to retort when Emma rummaged through the pockets of her red leather jacket and produced a small plastic figure. It was a wizard with a purple robe, holding a wand.

She walked over to Regina's desk and plopped the little figure down right beside the picture of Henry on the far end.

"There that's much better."

"Seriously?"

Regina regarded her with a raised eyebrow, her gaze flickering from the little figure to Emma and back.

"Just to remind you of me until I can think of something better," Emma said with a small shrug. Regina shook her head and began to rummage through her own folders, gathering everything she knew couldn't wait any longer. She pushed everything into Emma's unsuspecting arms and guided her toward the doors.

"Be a dear and take this to the car, I need to reschedule some appointments. I'll be with you in a minute."

Emma was teetering dangerously from one side of the corridor to the other trying to balance the stack of folders in her arms.

"Why can't you put all this stuff on your computer," she grumbled on the way.

"Because this is Storybrooke and for some reason people are very fond of filling out actual paper forms," she called after her with a quiet laugh.

Aurora smiled when Regina told her to rearrange and cancel several appointments. She would only be gone for two or three days, but the paperwork was still going to be piling up on her desk.

"I think that's everything," Aurora said while glancing at the screen in front of her, fingers dancing across the keyboard.

Regina nodded and walked over to the doors of her office to close them.

"I hope you'll be feeling better soon Madame Mayor."

"I'll try to be back as soon as I can."

Aurora smiled and inclined her head as Regina gave her a small nod and walked down the corridor. She stepped outside and found Emma chatting with someone in a dark leather jacket and black ponytail.

"So that's your VW bug at the auto shop?"

"Yeah that's my baby. The engine died on me the other day but it should be fixed soon, as in tomorrow or the day after that. He's finally got the part replaced that –"

Emma fell silent when she saw Regina approaching and Mulan turned around, holding a brown bag in her hand.

"Madame Mayor, I came by to bring Aurora her lunch. She forgot it at home."

"That's very thoughtful," Regina replied tersely.

"I'll see you around," Mulan said turning back to Emma who nodded and smiled.

"Sure."

Regina climbed into the passenger seat wordlessly and waited for Emma to join her before she spoke.

"You didn't tell me your car was going to be fixed soon."

"Uh… well I just got the call yesterday."

She refused to look at Emma and gazed straight ahead with narrowed eyes.

"Regina?"

Warm fingers came to rest against her chin and her head was gently turned so that she had to focus on Emma if she didn't want to appear completely childish and jerk her head away.

"Regina, even with my car fixed I won't just leave okay? Unless… unless you want me to."

"No, I don't want you to leave," she replied quietly.

The words sounded strange to her own ears, but it was the truth. The thought of Emma simply turning her back on Storybrooke caused an unpleasant shiver to run down her spine. She'd become a calming presence in Regina's life.

Something that she could look forward to, something she wanted to have to herself.

But Emma would have to leave eventually. She couldn't stay without a job and Regina doubted that she had saved enough money to keep afloat for more than a month. Emma just wasn't the type to plan ahead, and even if she did she surely hadn't prepared for staying in some small town in the middle of nowhere for a longer period of time.

Emma smiled and leaned closer, her hand still gently cupping Regina's chin.

"You think too much. Don't worry, we'll figure it out."

She closed the distance between them and Regina's eyes fluttered at the first touch of lips against her own. It was familiar but also different. The way Emma's mouth moved was slow and gentle, almost shy. A warm hand came to rest on her thigh when Emma leaned in and deepened the kiss.

She didn't realize how much she'd missed this until Emma slowly retreated, pressing several soft and short kisses against her lips.

"We'll figure this out," Emma mumbled.

She liked the sound of that.

"We?"


	17. At First Sight

Regina settled back onto the couch and looked around her living room. The clock told her that it was barely past three in the afternoon and she had already taken care of all the cleaning and washing that needed to be done, as well as the paperwork she had taken home the day before. Henry would still be in school for another hour and Cora had retreated to the study to take a few calls and check up on work.

Part of her still couldn't believe that her mother had actually taken time off to come to Storybrooke but on the other hand it showed that they were still a family despite the many miles between them.

The house was quiet and she contemplated turning on the TV but the prospect of sitting around seemed so very unproductive. Around this time she was usually in the office, taking care of business, but Emma, her mother and Henry had convinced her to stay home for another day. And now she was bored. Simple as that.

Her eyes traveled around the living room again while she was trying to think of what she could do next when the doorbell rang, followed by a quick knock. She pushed herself up and off the couch, walking to the door with a furrowed brow. She would've remembered if she was expecting someone.

She opened the door and a smile stole itself across her features before she could even think about stopping it. Emma was standing in front of her, grinning, hands clasped behind her back. Regina raised her eyebrows at the blonde's attire. Her eyes traveled from dark boots, up shapely legs clad in black to a white dress shirt.

"Emma?"

"Hey."

"What are you doing here?"

"It's nice to see you too," Emma replied, "And I'm here to take you out."

"Excuse me?"

"I want you to come with me."

"What? Right now?"

"Yes right now."

Emma was still smiling brightly and Regina glanced down at herself. She was only dressed in what she considered to be her comfortable clothes. "I can't go out like this."

"You look amazing," Emma replied without missing a beat.

Regina made a quiet noise of protest and shook her head. "I can't. I still have paperwork to complete."

Emma narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "No you don't."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"I'm pretty sure I am. Now, if you want to keep arguing that's fine but I'll stay right here until you come with me."

Regina glanced from Emma's stoic expression down at herself and back up again. She was tempted to simply close the door, but she was sure Emma would keep her word and stay on her front step all day.

They stared at each other for several silent seconds until Regina heaved a sigh. "Fine." She opened the door wider to let Emma inside. "Give me fifteen minutes."

The smile on Emma's face was almost worth it and Regina had to her hide her own smirk as she closed the door again.

She left Emma in the kitchen with a glass of homemade iced tea and ascended the stairs to the upper level of the house. Standing in front of her walk-in closet for solid five minutes, she berated herself for not having inquired what Emma was planning.

After looking through her various dresses, her eyes lingered on a blue dress that left a good part of her back exposed, but decided against it. She eventually settled on a dark red knee-length one with a simple cut that hugged her body in just the right places. It had been a while since she'd last had the chance to wear anything aside from her many business outfits and she crinkled her brow as she slipped into the dress. What could Emma possibly be planning? She was certainly overdressed if they only ended up going to Granny's.

She stopped in front of the mirror in her bedroom and breathed a silent sigh of relief about the fact that the large white band-aid that had been applied to the cut on her forehead was finally gone. The cut hadn't needed stitches and would heal all by itself. All that still remained of the incident was slightly raised pinkish skin.

After fussing with her hair and dabbing a little perfume against her wrists and neck, she slipped on a pair of black heels before grabbing her purse and descending the stairs again. Emma was exactly where she'd left her, sitting on a chair in her kitchen, sipping on her iced tea.

She looked up when she heard Regina enter and promptly chocked on the liquid in her mouth. Regina watched with a raised eyebrow as Emma tried to get her breathing back under control. After a few more coughs she got to her feet and smiled sheepishly before stepping closer.

"You…," she cleared her throat, "you look great."

"Thank you. I might've been inclined to return that compliment before I saw you suffocating on my kitchen floor Miss Swan."

She knew that a small smile belied the bite in her tone and Emma chuckled quietly.

"I admit that wasn't planned but I'm on my best behavior today, I promise."

"I'm still not convinced that I won't regret this," Regina answered as she turned and walked back into the foyer. Emma brushed past her and opened the door, stepping aside to let Regina step outside.

"Too bad since you do owe me a date."

Emma's yellow bug was waiting in her driveway and Regina eyed it apprehensively.

"It's all fixed now and cleaned from top to bottom."

"Good to know. But I do think we should take my car since it is –"

Before she could even finish speaking Emma had stepped behind her and was gently guiding her toward the bug with a hand at the small of her back. "Let me take care of you today, alright?"

The words were whispered into her ear and Regina's eyes closed for a brief moment. A small shiver ran down her spine and before she even knew what was happening, she was sitting inside the death trap.

Emma grinned after she'd gotten in as well and started the car. "Trust me, this will be fun."

A small smile crossed Regina's features at Emma's excitement and she settled into the seat, ignoring the odd noises the engine was making. "So where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise."

She wanted to inquire further but the brilliant smile Emma sent her way silenced her. She glanced out of the windshield but her eyes were drawn to the woman next to her. Emma seemed genuinely happy, carefree almost, and Regina was starting to feel the same way.

Despite the many problems still weighing heavily on her mind, she felt the tension slipping away from her in Emma's presence.

"I just… I want you to know that I'm looking forward to spending time with you," Emma said.

"I am too."

Warm fingers moved to her thigh and Regina glanced down, cradling Emma's hand in both of her own. A comfortable silence settled over them as Emma's old bug rattled through Storybrooke and Regina kept a keen eye on their surroundings. There weren't that many places Emma could take her in such a small town and she furrowed her brow when they left the last couple of houses behind them.

Again she looked down at their entwined fingers in her lap and she couldn't help remember what they'd felt like on her skin. She took a quiet breath and closed her eyes.

Immediately Emma's fingers squeezed hers gently. "Hey, everything alright?"

"I… yes, everything's fine. But where are you taking me? There's nothing out here except for the… oh."

Regina looked at Emma who grinned as she turned onto the broad dusty road. "I thought this would be an appropriate surprise."

"A surprise perhaps," Regina answered, gazing through the windshield, "but appropriate? I would've guessed that you would want to stay away from here as far and as long as possible."

"Well yeah, that's true but I also know that this is a big part of Henry's life, and of yours, so I might as well get over it because I don't want to miss anything."

Regina had no idea what to say to that. The car stopped in front of the stables and she stared at the horses grazing in the distance. She had to bite down on her bottom lip to stop any kind of emotion from spilling out of her. How could Emma be so sincere and so sweet? It was almost scary how she always seemed to know what to say or do to erase any of Regina's doubts and fears. Well, almost all of them.

She snapped out of her thoughts when Emma opened the passenger door to help her out of the car. "Your Majesty," she said with a smile as Regina placed her hand into the blonde's.

Emma didn't let go as they were making their way across the lawn and a warm tingling sensation crawled from their joined hands up Regina's arm toward her chest. Her eyes widened when she saw what Emma had prepared.

She laughed and shook her head. There in the midst of a pile of hay and straw was a dark red blanket, a basket resting on top of it.

"A picnic?" she asked quietly as Emma dragged her toward it.

Her steps were slow and heavy. No one had ever done anything like this for her and she stopped in her tracks. Emma was forced to a halt as well and turned with a furrowed brow. "Are you –"

Before she could even get the sentence out of her mouth, Regina had stepped toward her and claimed it with her lips. She buried her fingers in Emma's blue leather jacket and pulled her closer, a tongue gently teasing her lips to part. Emma was pure heat, welcoming her slick and willing and she tore her mouth away with a small gasp when her lower stomach tightened delightfully.

They were breathing each other in, foreheads touching as Emma smiled. "And I thought this was for after the date."

"Are you complaining?"

"Oh no, no, not at all."

They settled on the blanket and Emma unpacked sandwiches, pieces of chocolate cake, a bottle of wine and some fruits. Regina watched her silently as she placed everything onto the blanket before beaming happily. She glanced at Regina. "Ruby helped prepare most of it, but I bought the wine. Would you like some?"

Emma sounded almost shy and all Regina wanted to do was gather her in a hug and kiss those marvelous lips. Instead she inclined her head and leaned back on her hands. "I'd love some."

Emma produced two crystal glasses and poured them both some wine before handing one glass to her. A sweet sound filled the air when they clinked the glasses.

It was a freeing feeling, sitting on the blanket like that, sipping wine. Regina couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else and she decided that she would enjoy this. Whatever the future might bring, she just couldn't deny herself this slice of happiness and she was tired of fighting.

Emma offered her a sandwich with a grin and they ate in companionable silence.

Ruby had outdone herself with the cake and the rich chocolate taste melted on her tongue. Emma was enjoying it just as much and she had dark chocolate icing smeared just underneath her bottom lip.

Regina put her own little plate aside and scooted closer to Emma who raised her eyebrows in question.

"You've got something, right here," she mumbled and leaned in close, cradling Emma's neck with her free hand.

Her tongue peeked out and gently swiped across Emma's bottom lip. A tiny gasp escaped her and Regina's eyes closed. The heat of Emma's lips combined with the rich flavor of chocolate was more than delightful and Regina pressed closer for another taste.

She wasn't sure how exactly she ended up on her back, but somehow Emma managed to push the food aside to lower her down onto the blanket, their lips still firmly attached. The hay rustled beneath her and she pulled Emma down on top of her, wanting to feel the reassuring weight of the other woman.

For a moment Emma leaned back. She rested her elbows on either side of Regina's shoulders and gently cradled her face in her hands. It was such a simple gesture but Regina had to hold back a small gasp. She couldn't remember anyone ever looking at her this way – like she was something precious, something that needed to be handled with utmost care and affection.

She couldn't resist sliding her arms up and around Emma's back to pull her closer. Emma willingly closed the distance between them again, whispering against her lips. "Regina I –"

She couldn't let Emma continue. Whatever had been about to come out of her mouth would've shattered every single piece of composure still holding her together. Every bit of sanity. So she pulled her down the rest of the way and kissed Emma.

She just couldn't get enough of those lips.

Emma seemed to know how to flip her tongue or nip at her bottom lip in a way that made her entire back ache with the effort it took to keep her hips still.

One of Emma's hands moved down her throat, briefly skimming across her side and hip, and coming to rest against the exposed skin of her thigh. Her dress had ridden up from her knees and was now halfway bunched around her waist. She tried to take a deep breath because her head was starting to spin but Emma's hand moved upward and all she could do was gasp.

"God I've been wanting to do this…" she mumbled against Regina's lips. Her other hand traced a path down Regina's throat to her chest. Her warm hand closed over one of her breasts and Regina felt her nipple harden in response. She groaned quietly. Emma ended their kiss gently and moved her lips to her jaw down to her neck.

Regina opened her eyes, glancing down at Emma with her lips parted and her breaths coming in short uneven gasps. She reached out to brush Emma's tresses aside to watch her move against the skin of her throat.

Her brows furrowed when she saw something above Emma's collarbone, just above her shirt. She tucked a couple of blonde strands behind Emma's ear and squinted at the two white dots on her neck. "What…?"

Emma's head immediately snapped up and she regarded Regina with a hooded glance. "Hm?"

"What did you do? Had a meeting with a bloodsucking bat?" Regina asked, a small smile playing around her lips.

Emma looked absolutely confused but she still lifted her hand away from Regina's chest to her neck. "I have no idea what that is," she answered slowly.

Her nails began scraping across the raised skin and Regina watched the two white dots grow. Her eyebrows rose into her hairline and she realized that there was something decidedly itchy on both her legs. Realization dawned on her and she groaned quietly.

"What? What is it?" Emma asked, looking down at Regina with worried eyes. She was still scratching at her neck and Regina batted the hand away.

"It's mosquitoes. I completely forgot about them, they're really aggressive this year."

Emma's eyes widened and she scrambled away from Regina, looking down at the exposed skin on her legs. Several small red dots were decorating her skin.

"You seem to be a bit allergic," Regina added. She couldn't help but smile when Emma began scratching at her forehead.

"There never were many of those in the city... this sucks. God, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault."

Emma sat back on her haunches and looked around. The run was slowly starting to grow a bright orange and red color on the horizon and hundreds of little insects filled the warm air. She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. "All I wanted was a nice date, and even that I mess up."

Regina immediately sat up and cupped Emma's chin with her hand, turning the blonde's head toward her. "Nothing is messed up. This…," she gestured around them with her other hand, "is perfect. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"Even with the mosquitoes?"

"Even if snakes were crawling all over us," Regina replied with a smirk.

She tried not to jerk away when another mosquito settled on her hand. "But we should still get out of here."

Emma chuckled quietly and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

She got to her feet and helped Regina stand, pulling her flush against her own body. She kissed Regina sweetly but ducked away suddenly. She was swatting at the air around her head. "Okay, this is getting annoying, let's move before I end up as living buffet."

"Oh well, quite a pity. I sure wouldn't mind a taste," Regina answered quietly, smirking.


	18. Please Don't Make It Wrong

Emma pushed Regina back against the desk in her study, causing the mountain of folders to slide down and clatter to the floor.

"I was working on these," Regina protested quietly, but Emma's mouth on her neck silenced her effectively.

Hands were pushing her blazer off her shoulders until it slid noiselessly to the floor.

"My mother and Henry –"

"They won't be back for a while," Emma mumbled, gently biting at the revealed skin over her collarbone.

Regina groaned quietly and tilted her head back, hands sliding through silky blonde hair. How had they gotten to this so quickly?

Emma hooked her fingers into her blouse and pulled it out of her pants until it was bunched around her waist. How she hated crinkles.

Warm hands came to rest on her stomach, pressing her even harder into the edge of the desk. Instead of moving upward, one of the hands sneakily found its way into her slacks while the other began popping one button after the other, steadily moving until it tangled into her collar and Emma raised her head to pull her into a kiss.

A tongue stroked her bottom lip just as Emma's hand moved southward. Regina gasped against Emma's smiling lips.

"Miss Swan."

A small chuckle caused soft lips to move against hers.

"I like it when you call me that. But," a small kiss, "you never told me," another kiss, this time deeper, "how you knew my last name?"

Regina gasped and pushed Emma back by her shoulders before she could kiss her again. She blinked several times, realizing that she was doing exactly what she'd promised herself not to do.

"I can't do this, I can't."

She untangled herself from Emma and stepped away from her and the desk, furiously working on tucking her blouse back into her pants. She picked her jacket up from the floor and held in front of her torso like a shield. The look on Emma's face spelled complete confusion.

"What…?"

"No, don't, I… you have to go please."

Regina turned away from Emma and curled trembling hands into the blazer. She heard no movement from behind her and Emma released a shaky breath.

After that wonderful picnic Emma had prepared the day before Regina had allowed herself to become careless. She had given into the illusion that there was nothing wrong, that they could make it work. But that was a lie. Everything was a huge lie she herself had constructed. With the question about her last name, Emma had only scratched the surface.

She squeezed her eyes shut when Emma spoke again.

"Regina. I don't know what you want from me. I understand you're afraid, but I told I would do nothing to hurt you or Henry. Both of you are so important to me, and I'm usually not the kind of person to just jump headlong into a relationship. Hell, commitment is like a red flag, but with you… everything has been so different and for the first time I just feel like maybe –"

"No," Regina interrupted, turning on her heels and marching toward Emma. "You just don't understand. You don't know what I'm going through, you have no idea. You think you know what I am afraid of? Not even close."

She was breathing heavily, her jacket now dangling from one of her hands beside her.

"Then tell me, because I am running out of ideas here. If this isn't about me hurting Henry, then what? Because believe me, it was not part of my life plan to fall for a woman I happened to meet by the side of the road."

"How can you… what?"

"What?"

"Did you just…? Oh god Emma you don't even know… how can you…?" Regina clenched her jaw, trying to ignore the burning behind her eyes. How had this gotten so emotional so quickly?

A watery smile stole itself onto Emma's features and she stepped closer, holding her hands out like she was approaching a cornered animal.

"Listen, you don't have to tell me okay? I can wait, until you're ready but I won't leave. And believe me that that means something coming from me. I don't like to settle and get cozy, I never wanted to really, but now it feels like I might be," Emma whispered, closing the distance between them and carefully wrapping her arms around Regina.

All of her anger and fear dissipated as Emma held her tightly. The smell, the warmth and the feeling of not being pressured caused all fight to leave Regina's body. She rested her forehead against Emma's shoulder and took a deep breath. She raised her arms and rested her hands against Emma's shoulder blades to pull her closer. Regina wasn't sure how had it had come to this. From picking up a stranger by the side of the road to being held by a woman she was falling for, risking everything she held dear in her life.

Lips pressed against her temple and she closed her eyes, taking another deep breath. Emma's hand traveled up and down the expanse of her back, soothing her frayed nerves. This couldn't go on much longer. She was driving herself mad, too afraid of telling the truth because it could not only cost her Emma's trust but so much more.

"Hey what's going on?" Henry's voiced came from the door and Regina immediately took a step back, holding her blazer in front of her still open shirt.

Her mouth fell open and she looked past Emma to where Henry was standing in the doorway with Cora right behind him, one hand securely clamped over his eyes. "Grandma you don't have to cover my eyes if mom and Emma are kissing."

Cora raised an eyebrow at her grandson and pursed her lips. "How do you know that's why I'm doing it?"

"Why else would you? Mom does the same when there is kissing and stuff in movies."

Emma made a choked little sound and stared straight ahead, refusing to turn around at all. Regina was still staring at Henry when Cora caught her eyes.

"Let's just go put away the groceries, alright sweetheart?"

Cora turned Henry around and steered him in the direction of the kitchen with one hand resting against his shoulder. He glanced up at her and said something Regina couldn't hear. Cora smiled and nodded before she let go and Henry hurried back toward Regina and Emma. "I just want you to know that it's cool and that you don't have to hide or anything. I mean not like you should kiss right in front of me, but I'm okay with it."

A smile spread across Regina's features as she took in the innocent little frown on Henry's face. She fought the urge to pull him into a hug because her shirt was still unbuttoned. Instead she nodded, feeling moisture gathering in her eyes. "Thank you dear."

Emma finally turned and grinned at Henry. She reached out and ruffled his hair. "Good to hear kid, now go help your Gran."

He turned right back around and joined Cora who smiled down at him but turned sad eyes to Regina and gave a small barely perceptible nod.

Regina knew she had to do it. At least her mother was here to gather the pieces and help her put them back together afterward.

She wasn't ready for it, but then again she never would be. Not in a week, not in a month. And now that Henry knew something was happening between them, she had to put an end to the lies now. Or never.

"He's awesome," Emma said with a grin as she watched Cora and Henry disappear into the hallway.

Regina threw her blazer onto the couch to her right and buttoned her dress shirt while she walked over to the door of her study before closing it with a quiet 'click'.

She took a moment to get her thoughts into order while her back was turned to Emma and took a breath in an attempt to calm the beating of her heart. She straightened her shoulders and raised her chin, fluffing her hair with both hands. She needed the mayor for this because all Regina Mills, the woman, wanted was to hold on to Emma and everything that was slowly slipping through her fingers.

She turned around and leveled a calm gaze onto Emma.

"Are you alright? What are you -?"

"I need to tell you something," Regina said, her voice steadier than she felt, "and it will be difficult to hear."

"Regina, you sound like you're about to tell me I have only a month left to live," Emma said with a small chuckle that died quickly.

"It concerns Henry, and you," Regina continued unfazed.

She walked several steps into the center of the room where she crossed her arms, her eyes not leaving Emma's face for a single second.

"I knew your last name because I had lawyer investigate you," she said, fully expecting Emma to react with anger to the revelation but instead she only shrugged.

"I kinda suspected you did something like that. I mean I wanted to see you again after that night in the hotel and you didn't seem like the person to leave anything to chance, so I guessed that you had someone dig up my identity, just so you could feel safer."

Regina's arms dropped her arms to her sides again and shook her head.

"And once I came to Storybrooke you probably tried to find out even more than just my name because you wanted to be sure Henry wasn't hanging out with some crook. And it's okay, I'm not mad, I get it. I wouldn't want my kids to be around someone I knew nothing about, sometimes it seems like I feel just as protective of Henry as you do. And yes I do want to take care of him like that, I mean I never thought I would, but it just seems so inevitable and I can't find it in me to fight it."

Regina's throat closed up and she tried to hold on to the last shred of composure she had still left. She dug her nails into the palms of her hands and clenched her jaw.

"He's yours," she choked out.

Emma smiled and inclined her head. "Thank you, for saying that and –"

"No," Regina interrupted, a sneer stealing itself onto her features as she forced the mayor to the forefront to keep her protected from the blow she knew would follow, "he is the child you gave up for adoption eleven years ago."

It seemed to take Emma several seconds to actually understand her words and Regina watched a myriad of emotions wash over her face until she stumbled back as if physically struck. She pressed both palms against her stomach and gaped at Regina.

"How… what… why would you…?"

"It's the truth. I've known since I saw you in the parking lot of the hotel that day, and there was just no way I could tell you."

"You… you lied to me?"

"Yes."

Emma's skin took on a very pale hue and she gasped for air. She looked on the verge of fainting and Regina could almost tell the moment when all of her defenses rose and slammed together like the gates of a fortress.

With a few quick strides she was right in Regina's face, eyes ablaze. "How dare you do this to me?" she hissed between clenched teeth.

"I didn't want this to happen, how was I supposed to know you would actually come to Storybrooke? I tried to make you leave, but you just –"

The tears that had been gathering in her eyes started to slip down her cheeks, but Regina kept her face stoically calm, "you just wouldn't go."

A frustrated groan escaped Emma's throat and she turned away from Regina as if she couldn't even stand the sight of her. She buried both hands in her hair and shook her head. "This is fucking impossible, how can this be real? God I can't…"

Emma turned on her heel and brushed past Regina on her way to the door. The blonde's name was on the tip of her tongue, but calling out to her wouldn't stop Emma from leaving anyway. So Regina let her go. She needed to regroup and think about what she was going to do next. It was for the best.

The front door opened and slammed shut. Regina closed her eyes, more tears escaping through her lashes and making their way down her face.

She sniffled quietly as the smell of Cora's perfume invaded her senses and a moment later her mother's hand came to rest against the small of her back.

"I'm here, I will take care of Henry and you just do what you have to," she said quietly and pressed a kiss against the side of her head before leaving the study again.

Regina wrapped her arms around herself and tried to breathe through the pain in her chest. "So much for figuring it out together," she whispered into the silence that was only interrupted by the ticking of the old clock in the corner of the room.

She chanced a glance at the clock-face and realized that she'd been standing like this for a good fifteen minutes.

She slowly placed one foot in front of the other until she sat down behind her desk and leaned back into the chair. She swiveled around so she could gaze at the clock again.

"I have to tell Henry."


	19. Just Stay

"He still doesn't want to talk to me, does he?"

Cora smiled and shook her head. "He'll come around. He has to think this through first, in that regard he is very much like you."

"I suppose."

"He's your son Regina, he loves you, it was just a shock but he will never stop loving you."

Regina smiled briefly at her mother and tucked her scarf into the front of her coat. "I'll be back soon."

"Do you think she'll listen?"

Regina shook her head and pressed her lips together. "I don't know, but I at least have to try. Even though she might not want to hear it, I have to tell her my side of the story."

"It'll all be alright in the end, believe me, a mother knows," Cora said and pulled her into a brief hug before she was on her way out of the door.

The only thing she'd been able to think about the previous day was that she had to talk to Emma. No matter what Emma decided to do afterward, she just needed to see her and tell her how she felt. No more secrets, no more fear.

Regina drove straight to Granny's and walked into the diner with her head held high. She knew Emma usually had breakfast around this time, but there was no trace of her when Regina's eyes traveled around the diner. She walked over to the counter and waited for the older woman to notice her.

"Oh Madame Mayor, what can I get you?"

"Nothing. I just need to know if Em… Miss Swan has been here already."

"Oh no, she isn't here anymore. She came in yesterday and returned the key to the room on her way out of town. It's none of my business of course, but she looked like something awful happened."

Regina curled her fingers around the edge of the counter and breathed through her nose. "When did she leave?"

"Early in the morning."

"Thank you," Regina mumbled and turned away.

"Madame Mayor, are you alright?"

Regina nodded and waved her hand dismissively as she walked to the door and out into the street. She rested both hands on her stomach and took several deep breaths. Now was not the time to fall apart. She had to find Emma and fast. She dropped her hands to her sides again and started walking down the sidewalk with purposeful strides.

A bell above the door signaled her entrance as she walked into the small store. She'd never liked the stuffy smell and tried to avoid the pawn broker shop as much as possible, but this time there was no way around dealing with its malicious owner.

"Madame Mayor what an unexpected surprise," Gold said from his spot behind the counter.

"Save it," Regina answered, causing the man to raise his eyebrows.

"In a bad mood I see."

"I need you to find someone for me."

Regina came to stand on the other side of the counter and planted both hands onto its surface.

"Now why would I do that dearie?" Gold asked as he turned away from her to place a few objects onto a shelf behind him.

"I'll give you anything you want."

The words left a bitter taste on her tongue but had the desired effect. Gold spun back around and smiled brightly, giving her a perfect view of his golden teeth. Regina fought the urge to step back when he leaned over to the counter and into her personal space.

"Anything?"

"Yes."

"I think we have a deal Madame Mayor," Gold said with that little smirk of his.

By the time Regina made it out of the pawn shop, her skin was crawling. She didn't know what Gold wanted from her, but it would be one hell of a price to pay. It didn't matter though if he managed to find Emma in less than three days like he had promised. Not even her expensive lawyer would be able to do it that quickly.

Whoever Gold's sources were knew what they were doing and she was certain that he wouldn't stop even if it meant partaking in illegal activities. He knew how to get things done, she had to give him that.

Regina hoped that she could one day use that against him, but until then she had to believe that he could actually find Emma. She sighed quietly and glanced down at her watch. It was almost time to drive over to the hospital for her check-up. She bit down on her lower lip when she remembered Emma telling her she would accompany her to the appointment, only to make sure she was really alright.

On her way back to her car she stopped at one of the park benches she had pressured the council into placing all over the city and sat down. She leaned back and shoved her gloved hands into the pockets of her coat, bending her neck so that she could look up at the grey sky.

It was starting to get colder and soon fall would be over and Storybrooke would once again be covered in snow. She liked winter, the cold kept her awake in the mornings and she appreciated the warm indoors that much more after hurrying from her parking spot to town hall in the middle of a blizzard.

She was still looking at the sky, caught up in her own thoughts, when someone sat down beside her. She turned her head and looked at Aurora who handed her a cup. She took it with a quiet 'thank you' and drank the coffee.

"You're welcome. How are you today Madame Mayor?"

"I think I will be back at work the day after tomorrow," she answered.

"That's good to hear, but that wasn't what I asked."

Regina raised the cup to her lips again while she glanced at Aurora out of the corner of her eyes. "I'm… alright."

Aurora hummed quietly and turned her body so that she was fully facing Regina. "Before Mulan and I got together I was actually engaged to a guy named Frederik."

Regina cocked her head to the side. "Is that so?"

Aurora smirked. "I know you're wondering why I'm telling you this, but what I'm trying to say is that it is never easy. She was too scared to act on her feelings because she was afraid it would jeopardize our friendship. Meanwhile I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life."

"So what happened?"

"That, I will tell you once you've got your own story to share."

Regina's mouth fell open and Aurora laughed.

"You realize I am your boss."

"Not until the day after tomorrow. I'll see you at the office Madame Mayor."

Aurora got up and smiled brightly before wandering off in the general direction of town hall. Regina was still clutching her empty coffee cup, staring after her assistant. She knew she'd hired her for a reason.

She got up from the bench and tossed the empty cup into a nearby trashcan. She was getting cold and shivered as she walked back to her car.

After having failed in her attempt to speak with Emma, she had someone else to talk to. Henry had taken the news badly, which was to be expected. He'd always known that he was adopted, she'd never made an attempt to hide the fact from him, but finding out that he'd been spending time with his birthmother without knowing who she really was had hit him pretty hard. She hated it more than anything that she was causing him this kind of pain but she had brought it on herself and no one else was to blame for any of it. She deserved to be miserable.

She got home and avoided her mother's questioning eyes with a shake of her head before heading up the stairs to Henry's room. He was on his bed, lying on his belly and reading a comic, the one she bought him on their way back from the weekend trip. His head snapped up when she lightly tapped her knuckles against the open door. He rolled away and onto his side with his back to her.

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Henry –"

"Go away."

Regina's heart broke a little, she almost felt the small splinter piercing her already aching chest. He'd never talked to her like that. She contemplated ignoring his dismissal but decided to leave the conversation for another day, when Henry was ready and when she didn't feel like her world was slowly but steadily collapsing in on itself. She quietly closed the door to Henry's room and returned to the kitchen where Cora was already waiting for her with a cup of hot tea.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Regina took a sip of her tea and let it burn down her throat before shaking her head. "Maybe in a couple of days."

"Of course, whenever you're ready. I just want you to know that I think you did the right thing."

"It doesn't feel like it."

"Sometimes we just have to admit to our mistakes and then work on not repeating them," Cora offered and Regina nodded.

Her mother's words were all true, but that didn't stop the doubts and insecurities from creeping in on her from every side.

What if Henry began to hate her? What if he decided to seek out Emma and to leave her, leave his home, to live with his birthmother instead?

It was very much possible that Emma never forgave her for keeping this secret.

She finished her tea and watched Cora ascend the stairs to have another talk with Henry. At least he had his grandmother to rely on and Regina was grateful for Cora's presence.

She walked over to the sink to wash the dirty mugs and looked to the side, gazing through the window into the backyard. Lost in her thoughts she only realized that hot water was pouring over her hands when they started to feel raw. She quickly cleaned the cups and winced when she dried her hands on a towel. She rested both hands on the counter on either side of the sink and leaned forward, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths.

She spent the rest of the evening sitting outside on her back porch with a glass of wine. Cora eventually joined her and they watched the sunset in silence. She wasn't ready to talk, but it still felt good to know that her mother was there. She'd taken a couple of extra days off work and would stay for at least another week. The perks of being one's own boss.

That night when Regina climbed into bed she felt like a weight was pushing her down. Her thoughts were dense and she couldn't focus on what was really important. She knew she had to take things one step at a time or she would lose herself in the pain and darkness, waiting at the edges of her consciousness.

First she needed to get her paperwork in order so she could return to work the day after tomorrow. Then she would work on showing Henry that she'd never wanted to hurt him and that she loved him no matter how much he refused to speak with her. After that she was going to get information about Emma's whereabouts from Gold and talk to her.

That was as good a plan as she could come up with for the moment and she closed her eyes. Sleep evaded her for most of the night, instead she fought the hollow feeling in her stomach and the subtle ache in her chest.

The next day she basically holed up in her study and meticulously worked through every single folder piled up on her desk. It didn't distract her quite as much as she'd have liked but it exhausted her nonetheless. She also wanted to give Henry space to think through this and sort out his feelings. Cora was right, he was much like her in that respect and his little mind worked in interesting ways when he was upset and had to figure out how to cope.

Regina smiled and her pen stopped scratching across the paper in front of her when she remembered picking Henry up from school almost a year ago. He'd been terribly distraught and after some coaxing told her that a girl in his class had called him stupid after he'd tried to give her his lunch apple. After that he'd worked all evening on a plan on how to get her to like him. Needless to say he'd made a new friend the next day.

Regina wanted to follow his example, she would think this through and then get Emma to listen to her, simple as that. Finishing up the paperwork took her almost all day and it was already past dinnertime when she leaned back in her office chair and moved her head from one side to the other to loosen the kinks in her neck.

Cora was in the living room, glasses perched on her nose, reading a book. She looked up when Regina leaned against the doorframe.

"I left some dinner for you in the kitchen."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it."

Cora inclined her head and smiled. "Of course."

"Henry is in his room?"

Cora nodded and Regina pushed away from the doorframe, turning to walk up the stairs. She needed to see him, even if he wasn't talking to her, to make sure he was alright. Cora took good care of him, of course, but she just couldn't go an entire day without at least seeing her little prince.

She stood in front of the closed door and pressed her palm against the small sign Henry had made in first grade that read 'My Room' in his scraggly sprawl. She smiled and turned her hand to knock quietly.

"Come in," came the muffled reply. Henry was probably expecting Cora.

"It's me," Regina answered loud enough for him to hear even with the door closed. She hesitated for a couple of seconds before pushing it open.

"I know it was you," Henry answered. He sat up in bed and closed a black binder he had been drawing in.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you have that quiet but impatient kind of knock," he answered with a shrug and Regina breathed out a sigh. He was actually talking to her, looking at her. She fought the urge to just gather him into her arms and hold him tight until all the problems just disappeared.

Henry scooted back on his bed and tugged his legs under his body. "I wanted to talk to you anyway."

Regina slowly stepped into the room and moved over to the bed to perch on the edge. She folded her hands in her lap and looked at him patiently.

"I talked to grandma about what happened," Henry said and scratched at his forehead, "and I think I kind of get why you didn't tell me."

Regina clenched her jaw to keep quiet. She pressed her hands tightly together, waiting for Henry to continue.

"I'm still mad, sort of, but I love you mom, you know that right?"

He looked up at her and Regina couldn't hold still for another second. She reached for him and he wrapped his arms around her neck as she pulled him into her. She cradled his head with one of her hands and pressed a kiss into his hair. "Of course I know that dear, and I love you, more than anything."

She held him tightly for a while until she eventually leaned back, her arms still around him. "And I am sorry. It was never my intention to hurt you."

"I know mom, but what about Emma?"

Regina took a breath and looked down at Henry. "What about her?"

"Are you going to ask her to come back?"

"You know she is gone?"

"She called me."

"Oh."

Regina blinked and Henry cocked his head to the side. "You do want her to come back right?"

"I… yes, I do."

"Alright, well I think we should start with Operation Swan Retrieval then," Henry said, reaching for his black binder without breaking her embrace.

"What are you talking about dear?"

"We need a plan to get Emma back of course."

Regina smiled at that and dragged her hand through Henry's hair.

"Of course."


	20. In My Town

Emma brought her horse to a stop and tipped her cowboy hat back so that it was hanging from a cord by her throat as looked around. The night was dark and quiet aside from the sounds of critters around them. The small fire flickered as she urged her horse to step closer. Two shadows peeled themselves from the ground and Emma turned her head as Regina dismounted gracefully. She didn't even have the time to tie the reigns to a nearby tree before a small body collided with her own.

"I was worried about you," Henry said, is voice muffled against Regina's chest.

"I told you it would be fine."

Regina smiled down at the boy and looked over to Emma who was still sitting atop the horse. She smiled and awkwardly slid out of the saddle until her feet hit the ground.

"I'm glad everything went according to plan but it was still dangerous and incredibly foolish," Cora said as she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. She huffed quietly and took a few small steps toward Emma.

"A word?"

"Uh…sure."

Cora walked away from the fire and Emma looked over her shoulder at Regina who only shrugged before following Cora.

"I expect you to take care of her, and of my grandson until I am able to follow, just so that we're clear," Cora said as she turned around to face Emma.

"Of course. I would never let anything happen to them."

"And yet it was my daughter who had to break you out of a jail cell."

"It won't happen again?" Emma answered, scuffing the tip of her boot against the dusty ground.

"I certainly hope so," Cora glanced around Emma to where Regina and Henry were still hugging, "now, you realize that this will not be an easy journey?"

"Yes, but I know how to get away from here without getting caught. I've done it my entire life."

"But before now you've never had anyone else with you."

Emma straightened her shoulders and raised her jaw the tiniest bit. "I would give my life to keep them safe."

Cora nodded slowly, her eyes flicking across Emma's face. "That's what I wanted to hear."

She reached into one of the pockets of her long skirt and pulled out a set of four keys, all of them dangling from a thin chain. She held them out to Emma. "These are for the cottage."

Emma stepped forward and grasped Cora's hand in both of her own before taking the keys. "Thank you. For everything."

Cora nodded and a brief smile crossed her features before she returned to the small fire. She quickly pulled Henry into a hug and held him tightly while speaking quietly to him. Henry nodded with wide eyes at every other word.

Emma slowly walked over to where Regina was standing and wrapped her arms around her middle so she could rest her forehead against Regina's shoulder. "Are you ready for this?"

"I don't think I've been more ready in my life as I am for this," Regina replied quietly and wrapped her fingers around Emma's hand on her stomach to lift it up to her lips and press a kiss onto the back of it.

Emma closed her eyes and turned her head so that her nose was buried in silky black hair. She inhaled quietly and laughed when Henry launched himself at them both, forcing Emma to step back to look down at his smiling face. "I'm ready," he declared with a small firm nod and Emma found herself smiling wider.

"Good, then we should leave."

Regina walked over to Cora and they embraced, Cora's eyes finding Emma across her daughter's shoulder. Emma nodded just as they parted. Cora pressed a kiss to Regina's forehead and turned away from them to take care of the fire.

She refused Regina's help. "You should get going already or else this will have been all for nigh," she said with a huff.

Regina smiled at her, as did Emma, before she mounted her horse. Emma helped to hoist Henry into the saddle in front of Regina where she grabbed the reins and encircled him with her arms. Henry looked happy as Regina nudged the horse to move and he even giggled when the large animal bent down to nibble on some grass. Emma walked over to her own horse and pulled herself up, wriggling around to get comfortable. It would be a long ride.

She glanced back at Cora who watched them from beside the dying fire and then urged her horse to hurry along until she was beside Regina's stallion.

Regina's head turned in her direction and she smiled. "I love you."

Emma couldn't fight the answering smile crossing her face. "And I love you. So much. I promise you won't regret this."

"I know." Regina nodded and leaned forward. Her horse broke into a trot and Henry laughed quietly as he bounced up and down. "This is great, can I take the reins?"

"Not tonight, but tomorrow I'll let you ride for a bit alright?" Regina answered quietly and pressed a kiss against the side of his face.

Henry nodded. "Alright."

When Emma turned back she couldn't see the fire or Cora. The town was even further behind them and she hoped she would never have to set foot into it ever again. The first time she'd walked down the dusty main road she'd known that she was in for a load of trouble when her gaze had landed on a black-haired woman staring back at her without a single flicker of emotion in those dark brown eyes. Now their color had changed to a warm chocolate and Emma could usually tell whether Regina was angry or happy by the darkening of them. But then again she might just be so in love that she was imagining it.

"What are you thinking about?" Regina asked as they trotted across the dark landscape.

Emma glanced around again and ducked her head. "You," she answered, eliciting a soft laugh from Regina.

Emma took a deep breath and looked up into the nightly sky that was slowly turning lighter. A cottage by the river was waiting for them. A life filled with love and a family was waiting for her and although Emma would always find herself looking over her shoulder, her future had never seemed more promising or bright.

Henry was fast asleep in Regina's arms as they made their first stop. Emma dismounted her horse and lifted the exhausted boy off of the large animal so that he could curl up on a blanket for a little. Regina fastened the reins to a tree and walked over to Emma who produced a deerskin flask and two apples from one of the saddlebags.

She ignored the apple that Emma held out to her and instead encircled her waist with both arms until their faces were only hairbreadth apart. "This is our beginning Emma Swan and I plan on spending the rest of my life like this."

Emma smiled brightly and leaned forward to press her lips against Regina's. She smiled into the kiss and pressed closer, never wanting to let go of this feeling.

Emma gasped and sat up straight. The bed sheets were tangled around her legs and her shirt was uncomfortably sticking to her sweaty back. Her eyes needed a moment to adjust in the darkness and she looked around as the headlights of a passing car illuminated the room.

The digital clock on her bedside table told her that it was barely past five in the morning.

She groaned quietly and covered her face with her hands. She'd been dreaming about Regina for the last couple of nights, but this particular scenario made her chest ache uncomfortably. The love she'd seen in dream Regina's eyes made her groan again. Shaking her head she rolled out of bed and walked over to the window sill where she plopped down and pressed her forehead against the cool glass. She stared at the street down below and the few cars that were crawling through the semi-darkness. Somewhere one of the street lamps was broken and Emma saw light flickering from the corner of her eyes. She sighed and closed her eyes. It had to stop hurting eventually right?

She woke about an hour later and jerked away from the window. Her entire head was hurting and a headache had formed between her eyes. Her shoulders were tense and her entire back hurt from the awkward position she'd fallen asleep in. She slowly crawled down from the window sill and stretched her arms above her head with a wince. The muscles in her shoulders and back protested as she tried to bend sideways and she simply let her arms fall to her sides again.

Without sparing a glance at the unmade bed she trudged into the kitchen and switched on her old coffee machine, watching the brown liquid dripping into the see-through belly.

As soon as the turned on the TV, something would remind her of Storybrooke. Every single song on the radio was suddenly about betrayal and forgiveness.

She had absolutely nothing to do to distract herself. Her boss at the agency told her he'd call as soon as he had another case for her but she was sure that he wouldn't contact her because he was still pissed she'd just taken off without a word.

So she watched the coffee drip into the coffee pot and thought of Graham and his job offer. A stable job as deputy in a small town? Emma scoffed at the idea. Not only would it be boring as hell but the one person she didn't want to see ever again would be her boss.

Emma cringed. It wasn't true. She wanted to see Regina again, but she refused to give in to that stupid urge. She had to get her shit together and figure this out on her own before she could confront Regina and in consequence Henry.

She closed her eyes, remembering his broad smile and infectious laugh. He had her chin.

Emma let out a shaky breath and stepped away from the kitchen counter. Maybe she should go for a run? Let the air clear out the cobwebs in her head, plus she could certainly use the exercise.

She turned to her bedroom but was stopped by a knock on her door. Furrowing her brow she glanced at the clock. Who could possibly want something this early in the morning? She'd paid the landlady just the other day. Emma crept through her small apartment toward the hall and pulled her gun out of its place in the top drawer of an old dresser beside the door.

The knock sounded again, this time a little more forceful. Emma wrapped her fingers around the doorknob and jerked it open a couple of inches to glance through the crack. A small gasp escaped her and she slammed the door shut again. She hastily put the gun back into the drawer and took a few deep breaths. Another knock.

"Go away," she shouted, knowing that the person on the other side would hear her clearly through the thin wood.

Emma stood in front of her door for almost a minute, listening to the slightest sound. She jumped a little when her cell phone rang and hurried toward her bedroom to grab it from the nightstand. The name 'Mills' flashed across her screen and she furrowed her brow. That was Regina's landline and since the woman was standing outside of her apartment she could hardly be calling from Storybrooke.

Emma held the device to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Emma, you have to let mom in to talk to you."

Emma sucked in a quiet breath. "Listen kid –"

"No really, she could be dehydrated or get mugged or something, you should really let her in."

Emma snorted quietly and turned to walk back into the hall to glance at the closed door, chewing on her bottom lip. "She's not going to get mugged in front of my apartment."

"Are you sure?"

Emma's eyes shifted from the door to her window and back. Sure, her building wasn't in the best part of town and some of the other apartments had questionable inhabitants, but she hadn't heard of any incidents involving robbery or anything like that.

"I don't want to talk to her," Emma said, grimacing at the way she sounded more like an eleven-year-old than Henry.

"Please. For me?"

She didn't have to see Henry's puppy dog eyes and pout to know they were there.

"Okay kid, I'll talk to her, but you can't get your hopes up. This doesn't mean I'm coming back."

"Okay."

"You know that this has nothing to do with you right? I do want to visit you, and we'll talk and all that. I just need some time."

"Yeah I understand."

"I'll call you soon."

"Okay. Bye Emma."

"Bye."

Emma dropped her hand to her side and curled her fingers tightly around the cell phone as she stalked toward the door. She took a deep breath and yanked it open, only to find Regina standing in the exactly same spot as a few minutes ago. Her brown eyes were guarded as she plastered an obviously false smile onto her features. "Hello Emma."

Emma wordlessly stepped aside and opened the door wider so that Regina could walk past her into the apartment. She hesitated for a brief moment before the sound of clicking heels filled the air. Emma closed the door again and followed Regina into the small living area. It was nothing compared to the house on Mifflin Street but it wasn't like she had planned on staying in this place forever.

She looked around, trying to imagine what Regina was seeing. The rundown furniture or bare walls, or maybe the old kitchen that had nothing but a coffee machine and a microwave on a counter.

"Henry said you wanted to talk, so talk."

Her voice sounded harsher than she'd intended but it seemed like the anger that had been bubbling under the surface was returning with a vengeance. Regina turned and pulled on the sleeves of her blue blazer before looking at her.

"I didn't come here to apologize. I came to explain why I made the decisions that I did."

"By decisions you mean fucking me over in more ways than one."

Emma had never heard her own voice take on such a malicious tone but it was as if she couldn't stop herself. Regina had lied to her about Henry, about them, and just as she felt like she found something worth to be called home, Regina ripped right out from under her feet.

When she was fifteen the nice foster family in the large house had promised that they would keep her, that they would stay together no matter what. Until they got pregnant and were expecting their own child. They'd send her back with an apology and the promise to visit. She hadn't stuck around long enough to find out whether they would keep that promise.

Regina took a quiet breath and nodded as if accepting Emma's anger. "I have made a mistake yes, and I regret it more than I've ever regretted anything, but you have to understand that I felt threatened."

"Threatened? By me? So you were scared I would tell Henry the truth and play him against you?"

"I was afraid you would take him from me."

"Maybe I should have. You've not only been lying to me, but also to him. Guess you won't get the mother of the year award this time around."

Regina's eyes hardened as she took a small step back. Her fists clenched at her sides. "Yes, you're right, I lied to him and even if he will ever truly forgive me for it, I won't forgive myself. He is all that I have and I will do what it takes to keep him, he is my son."

She was obviously trying to control her voice and Emma felt Regina's anger like it was a physical push. She took several steps forward

"He is mine too."

"I raised him for the last eleven years, you have no right to come into his life and then leave."

"Don't blame this on me Regina. You brought me into his life. You knew that I gave him up, you could have told me from the beginning and I could've made my choice, but you took that choice from me. You took it from him too."

Regina looked away, taking a deep breath. "I was afraid that if I told you, you would decide to leave."

"You tried to drive me out of town for weeks."

"I was an idiot," Regina replied, completely turning away from Emma and wrapping her arms around her torso, "I let my fears get the best of me and I will pay the price for it."

Emma took a quiet breath, different feelings inside of her fighting to be acknowledged. She was mad at Regina but there was also this urge to just pull her into her arms.

She had never looked so fragile before and Emma's anger deflated at the thought that she was the reason for it.

"Henry has suffered enough because of me and I don't want him to lose you. He cares about you Emma, and I came here to let you know that you are welcome in his life, even though you might not forgive me."

"I won't disappoint him, I did it once and I will not let him down again."

Regina nodded, more to herself than to Emma and let her hands drop to her sides again. "I'm glad to hear that, Henry will be too. That… that's what I came here to talk to you about, thank you for listening. You have my number and Henry has yours, I'm sure you can make plans between the two of you."

She cleared her throat quietly and walked past Emma back toward the door, not looking at her. "For what it's worth, I truly regret losing you the way I did."

Without turning back, Regina opened the door and left, closing it softly behind her. Emma raked both hands through her hair, heavily falling onto her couch. "How the hell did she find me?"


	21. For The Night

Emma took a deep breath and clenched her hands tightly around the steering wheel. The road was familiar, as were the small houses passing her by on either side. She was nervous, and only a series of deep breaths calmed her down enough to keep driving. She was afraid of doing this. There was a good chance that she would get hurt and the last time had been bad enough. She didn't need to feel the same kind of pain again. But she realized that if she didn't at least try, she would always ask herself 'what if'.

She'd talked to Henry on the phone a couple of times and despite knowing that he was a cunning little schemer, his words had gotten to her. He told her about how Regina looked sad whenever she thought he wasn't around to see it. How she had put no restrictions on any phone calls or visits. He reminded her of the Haunted Trail at the fair and the whole falling off the damn horse incident.

Regina had risked her own life to get Emma off that horse. Given, she was the one who forced her on top of it in the first place, but the concussion she'd suffered from that stunt spoke of more than just guilt.

And Regina had found her. Somehow she'd managed to track her down even though she had left no clues whatsoever regarding her apartment, or even the part of the city she lived in. It must've cost the mayor quite a stash of money to be able to show up on her doorstep so quickly after she'd left. But what exactly did it mean?

Emma was conflicted, more so than ever before, and it had taken her several weeks to finally admit one thing to herself. She missed Regina. And Henry. She was angry, yes, beyond pissed actually, but that didn't change the core of her feelings.

She had to give Regina a chance. Her words had been heartfelt and Emma could accept it, appreciate the sentiment even, but it took more than that before she could trust again. It wasn't going to be easy but she couldn't just turn away from the one thing that had made her feel happiness again.

She drove through Storybrooke and seemed to find a memory at every corner. Despite her short stay, the little town had a feeling of home that none of the other places she'd been over the years had ever come close to.

Emma contemplated stopping at Granny's for lunch but quickly decided against it. Once she started stalling she wouldn't make it to Regina's house at all.

With another deep breath she stopped her yellow bug in front of the mansion on Mifflin Street, staring up at the darkened windows of the first story. Everything looked exactly the same and she still remembered fleeing from the house after Regina had told her that Henry was her son.

That was another topic she needed to work through, but she couldn't do it by herself. She had given up a child because she had known that she couldn't take care of him and to this day she still believed that it had been the right decision. Henry had a good life. A good mother. Everything she'd ever wanted for him.

She sighed. This was worse than therapy. She was forced to face not only her past but every single one of her fears and she hoped that there would still be something left afterward.

Getting out of her car, she made her way up the driveway and toward the white door. Every step was heavier and slower than the last and she could hear the pounding of her heart in her ears. The tips of her fingers felt cold and she buried them in the pockets of her leather jacket as she stopped in front of the door. She stood there for several moments, trying to ready herself for seeing Regina again. It wouldn't do to just stare at the other woman without getting a single word out.

She eventually gathered the courage to knock, not realizing how excruciating it was to wait for a response. Her booted foot tapped out a rhythm against the floor until she heard noises from the inside. She waited with baited breath as several locks were opened and the door swung open. The form in front of her was familiar but not at all who she'd hoped to see.

Cora narrowed her eyes and her mouth turned downward into a frown. Now Emma knew where Regina had learned her icy 'force ten' stare.

"Uhm…hey," she offered with a small smile.

The only movement from Cora was her eyebrow sneaking up her forehead into a questioning while also accusing glare.

"I… uh… could I speak to Regina… please?"

Cora sighed and half-turned away from Emma as if to slam the door right into her face, but instead she stepped aside and gestured for her to enter. Emma slowly moved across the threshold and gazed around the foyer. Everything looked still exactly like she remembered it and the sense of belonging she suddenly felt made her stop in her tracks.

"Would you like some coffee?" Cora offered as she strode past Emma into the kitchen.

Emma snapped out of her thoughts and followed after the older woman, shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her jacket again. "No thank you," she declined politely. She was already keyed up enough without adding caffeine to her system.

Cora silently poured herself a cup and took a sip before turning to Emma. "Regina's not here."

"Yeah I figured."

Cora hummed quietly and raised her coffee cup to her lips.

"So, when will she be back?" Emma asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Not anytime soon."

"W-what?"

"Henry said you would come here eventually but I honestly didn't think it would be so soon."

"Huh?"

Emma stared at Cora who only released a small breath before putting her cup down. She walked over to the fridge where an envelope was taped to the steel surface. A few words were scrawled across the front of the envelope but Emma could only read the first one, Operation, before Cora ripped it off and opened it. She removed a piece of paper and pursed her lips while her eyes quickly scanned the page.

"Regina and Henry are on vacation," she answered eventually, eyes still on the letter.

"What?"

Cora shot her a long dark look before continuing. "Needless to say they won't be back for a while."

Emma closed her eyes briefly and took a breath. Why hadn't Henry mentioned this vacation? She tried to think back to their last phone call, remembering that he'd been a little vague about his plans for spring break.

This was pretty much throwing her off her game and now she had to actually wait for the return of the two people she wanted to see most.

"Where did they go?" Emma asked quietly, swallowing the question that was really on her mind. Did they leave because of her?

"Florida," Cora answered.

Emma exhaled and sank down into one of the kitchen chairs. "Florida huh?"

"Yes Miss Swan, Florida. Now my plane was supposed to leave this afternoon, but I am sure you can catch it just as well if you go now."

"Yeah, sure… wait what?"

Emma stared at Cora with wide eyes, going over the conversation in her head, trying to figure out how it had led to this. "You want me to take a plane to Florida? Where Regina and Henry are?"

"Unless you'd prefer to drive there, yes, that was my intention by offering you the ticket."

"You… you're helping me?"

Cora sighed and tapped her fingers against the envelope in her hand. "I didn't think you were the kind of person my daughter would fall for, nor did I think that you are good for her or Henry, but the days I have spent here before everything fell apart made me realize that neither of them have been this happy with an addition to the family. And you coming here shows that they mean something to you as well. However, I'm warning you Miss Swan, do not hurt either my daughter or my grandson. You will regret it, believe me."

Emma blinked, feeling torn between excitement at possibly seeing Regina and Henry again and being offended at the not so subtle threat Cora had just tossed in her direction. She raked both hands through her hair, needing to calm her racing thoughts. "Suppose I go to Florida, what could I possibly tell them?"

"The same you would've said had they been here." Cora turned on her heel and marched out of the kitchen, back into the foyer. Emma hopped off the chair and followed her, for the first time noticing the two suitcases near the stairs. She had completely overlooked them earlier but realized that Cora was actually for real. She wanted Emma to go to Florida. Where Regina was. And Henry.

Cora rummaged through her purse and pulled out yet another envelope that she tossed in Emma's direction. "You should leave immediately, the flight won't wait dear."

Emma fumbled with the envelope, almost dropping it. She glanced at Cora and shuffled toward the front door. "Are you really sure about this?"

"Are you sure about wanting to be in my daughter's life?"

Emma took a deep breath, gazing around the foyer before looking at Cora. "Yes," she said firmly.

Yes, she wanted this. A family. Love. And despite everything that had happened she had never felt more like she could finally have these things, finally find a place where she belonged. There were issues to work through, hell yes there were, but she wanted to give it a shot. For the first time she wanted to fight rather than run.

"Then go," Cora said, her eyes dark and her mouth drawn into a firm line.

She gestured toward the front door and Emma quickly opened it to slip through. She hadn't even made it halfway back to her yellow bug when she heard the door close again. She didn't turn around to see whether Cora was watching her from one of the many large windows of the mansion.

She sat behind the steering wheel, clutching the envelope in her first, promising herself that she would not screw this up.

The drive to the airport took longer than she had anticipated and by the time she was waiting toward the gate with her meager belongings stuffed into her old duffel bag she couldn't stop fidgeting. The flight was supposed to take a little over three hours and she had no idea how she was going to survive them without crawling up the walls of the plane.

Luckily she somehow managed to doze off soon after take-off and only the noise and movement of the plane descending rustled her awake. She stared sleepily at the people around her and then turned to look out of the small round window. She could already see tiny buildings and one or the other blue speck below. Pools, her mind provided, and she yawned. Regina and Henry were on vacation so they had to be somewhere near the ocean and a pool probably wasn't far either.

Lounging on the beach in the sun with a cocktail in her hand wasn't something she'd done, like ever, but it didn't sound very appealing either because the more the last vestiges of sleep dissipated, the more she started to get nervous again. What if Henry and Regina didn't want to see her? Would she have to turn right back around without even trying to make Regina understand why she'd acted the way she did? People going after their loved ones and surprising them in some tropical paradise was usually a thing for sappy movies. Real life just didn't work that way, but still Emma hoped this time would be an exception.

She hadn't asked for many things her life, but she silently prayed to whoever was willing to listen that she could fix this.

She slowly shuffled along the isle until she could step out of the plane, a wave of warm air hitting her squarely in the face. She glanced down at her sweater, realizing that she was dressed pretty inappropriately for a place like this and she hadn't even packed a bikini.

Shrugging out of her sweater she headed over to the terminal and rummaged through her bag to find the envelope Cora had given her. Inside was a reservation for a hotel. Once out of the airport she flagged down the first cab she saw, shoving the address into the young man's face as soon as she was in the backseat.

The scenery was pretty, palm trees and large houses on either side of the road, but Emma couldn't focus on much at all. It was already late afternoon by the time the plane had landed and it would take her about half an hour to get to the place where Regina and Henry were staying. How was she supposed to find them? Weren't they already expecting Cora? She didn't want to unnecessarily worry them but she needed this to be a surprise. A shocked Regina might just be approachable enough for her to say what she wanted to.

Before long the cab stopped in front of a small gate. After a few words were exchanged the gate opened and the cab drove up a long driveway, stopping in front of a semi-large dark building that was framed with palm trees on either side. Everything seemed rather secluded and fairly expensive. Emma dropped a few bills into the cab driver's hand and crawled out of the car, dragging her duffel along with her.

She was still staring at the building when a man in a uniform stepped up to her with a friendly smile. "May I help you with your luggage?"

Emma whipped around to him and cleared her throat. She glanced down at the duffel bag slung over her shoulder then back at the man. "Uh… no thanks, I think I can handle it."

She took a quiet breath and stepped away from the man as he nodded. "Of course ma'am, the entrance is right ahead. Have a pleasant stay."

"Right. Thanks."

The inside of the building looked even more exquisite than the outside. Emma immediately became aware of how she seemed completely out of place with her boots, jeans and tank top. Thankfully only few people were milling around the foyer and she managed to catch a receptionist as soon as she walked up the counter.

"Hey, uh, a reservation for Swan," she said glancing around again.

The entrance hall was held in the same dark color as the rest of the building, a few leather chairs and tables were scattered about and she saw two sets of stairs leading to the upper level at the other end of the hall.

"I'm sorry I don't seem to have the name here," the receptionist, a tanned young man, answered.

"Oh… uh I meant Mills," Emma corrected, mentally slapping herself on the forehead. She dug around in her duffle bag until she located the envelope she had stuffed there earlier and handed the man the reservation details.

"Ah yes, Mrs. Mills called earlier. Welcome to the White Sand Resort Miss Swan." The receptionist slid a black plastic card over to her. "Should you need anything, you only have to call here or the concierge. Room service is available all day. Your bungalow is located to the right of this building as soon as you exit through the back. Would you like someone to carry your bags?"

Emma declined the offer again and grabbed the card with a curt 'thank you' before heading off toward the stairs. She ascended them to the upper level and found herself staring at a breathtaking view. The ocean was only a few feet away and she was overlooking a vast array of smaller bungalows below and on either side of her. Every single housing entity was separated from the other by lush green plants she couldn't even begin to name.

She gaped at the scenery for several moments until she remembered that she possibly wasn't even here to stay.

Pushing the straps of her duffel bag further up her shoulder, she started walking toward one of the bungalow's to her right. She glanced down at the plastic card in her hand, keeping an eye on the individual names of each little house. Smiling to herself she stopped in front of the one called 'fate' that had the same number as her card. A coincidence? Probably, but she would take it as a good sign. She walked up the few steps leading to the front door and slid her card through the lock. It opened with a quiet 'click' and she stepped inside.

The interior of the bungalow was almost as amazing as the scenery. A huge bed took up one side of the living area and a balcony led straight out onto the ocean where it dipped into the water with a small curve. There was a huge rainforest shower and a large indoor hot tub in the bathroom to her right. She dropped her bag and stepped further toward the glass sliding doors, pushing them open with a sigh when the sounds of waves lapping against the beach reached her ears.

She inclined her head when something on the bed caught her attention. It was a white nondescript box. She slowly turned around and stalked closer. Maybe this was meant for Cora? She probably shouldn't open it but curiosity got the better of her. One little peek couldn't hurt.

Carefully lifting the lid, she glanced inside, finding a note folded neatly on top of something red. Her name was written across the note and she snatched it up.

Miss Swan,

I am glad you actually made it on time. Good for you.

Now, I assume that you have nothing suitable to wear in that bag of yours, so this might help.

C. Mills

Emma stared at the printed letters before putting the note down on the bed and lifting the red garment from inside the box to regard it. A dress. And underneath a pair of black heels. Cora had sent her an outfit. She wasn't quite sure what to make of that but she had to admit that Cora was right, she had absolutely nothing to wear for a place like this.

With a small sigh she plopped down onto the bed and held the silky dress in her hands. Was she really ready for this? Could she go through with her plan? Could she tell Regina how she felt once she found her?

She got to her feet and put the dress carefully down onto the bed to avoid getting any wrinkles into the expensive looking silk. Taking a deep breath, enjoying the salty ocean fragrance, she headed for the bathroom. A shower was in order. Then she would dress up like she'd never dressed up before. Regina wouldn't even have enough breath left to argue with her once she'd stolen it all away with her looks.

Emma winced at her own rather cheesy train of thought and shed her clothes one after the other on her way to the darkly tiled rainforest shower.

The warm water felt like heaven on her skin and she hoped that she would get a chance to take a swim in the ocean as well. Preferably with Regina there. In a bikini. The thought of seeing Regina like that made her forget that she was in the middle of shampooing her hair. Her hands were suspended in the air as she stared straight ahead at nothing in particular.

She imagined Regina emerging from the waves, her hair slicked back, water cascading down her body. Emma gulped and blinked her eyes several times, trying to clear her mind. She shouldn't get ahead of herself, there were so many things that could simply go wrong and she was reluctant to get her hopes up just yet.

She finished her shower and wrapped a large brown towel around herself before walking back into the living area. She flopped down onto the bed, careful not to land on the dress, and closed her eyes. She was ready. More than ready, but she was also exhausted. With a sigh she imagined Regina's face, surprise and probably anger, when she saw her. She hoped that Henry would be a little more excited that she was crashing their vacation.


	22. Say You Will

Emma took a deep breath, warm air filling her lungs. A soft breeze whispered along her bare arms and she briefly glanced up at the star filled sky.

The red dress fit perfectly. It revealed quite a bit of skin but was still more elegant than anything she'd ever worn. She really didn't want to think about how Cora could've possibly known that the dress would look amazing on her.

She turned her eyes away from the nightly sky and stared at the wooden door in front of her.

She was standing outside one of the restaurants that belonged to the hotel. After running in circles for a little while and asking a couple of questions, she'd finally figured out that Regina and Henry were having dinner here. She had glanced inside through one of the large windows on either side of the door and realized that the main room was fairly empty. Most guests were seemingly out on the terrace that overlooked the beach.

It was a beautiful night, Emma had to admit, and she was almost reluctant to ruin it for Regina and Henry.

Looking around again, she caught her reflection in one of the many windows. Her hair was braided away from one side of her face and cascaded down the front over her left shoulder. Aside from the red lipstick, she had decided not to overdo it with make-up and the result was truly quite surprising.

She had to admit that she looked good, really good, and it made her feel confident. Which was great, because she could use every ounce of confidence right now.

She jumped slightly when something touched her shoulder and spun around, finding an elderly couple standing behind her. The man smiled at her. "We were just wondering whether you wanted to go inside or not?"

Emma felt heat creeping up her neck. She probably looked like an idiot standing in front of the restaurant. Nodded slightly, she held the door open for the couple so they could go inside first. They thanked her and she took several deep breaths before she followed them.

Her hands wandered over the front and sides of her dress while she made her way over to the terrace. She stepped through the glass sliding doors and waved off a waiter who was trying to show her to a table. Her eyes quickly swept over the many dinner guests until she spotted them.

They were at a table in the corner. Regina had her back toward her and she watched Henry take a giant bite of what looked like a piece of melon.

She took several steps toward them but stopped abruptly when their laughter carried through the air. Juice was running down Henry's chin and he grinned broadly with half of the red melon showing through his teeth. Regina was trying to wipe at his face but he kept squirming away.

Emma's heart was beating furiously in her chest at the sight and her stomach was telling her quite bluntly that her breakfast was not far from making an appearance.

She couldn't do it. There was no way she could this. Not now. Maybe not ever.

Her thoughts flashed to that rainy night Regina had stopped by the road to offer her a ride. It all seemed like an act of fate, because what were the chances that the woman needing to hitch a ride happened to be the mother of the kid you'd raised for the past eleven years? Maybe it was a cosmic joke after all and she wasn't meant to hold on to either Regina or Henry.

She was about to turn back around and hightail it out of there when Henry's eyes met hers across the terrace. He froze for several seconds until a brilliant smile lit up his entire face.

Emma was basically torn. Part of her wanted to break into a run but the other stood rooted to the spot.

Regina must've seen Henry's expression because she slowly turned around. It seemed to happen in slow motion and Emma watched horrified as Regina's profile came into view until her entire upper body was fully turned toward her.

Dark brown eyes found hers immediately and Emma held her breath. And held it. She was waiting for a reaction, anything really, a thrown glass, a smile, a scream, but Regina seemed to have turned into a statue. Well, she was beautiful enough, no questions asked.

So Emma simply forgot to breathe. She only realized that something was missing when she began to feel lightheaded and her chest constricted with the obvious lack of oxygen. She had to reach out and grab the back of a nearby chair to steady herself. She'd never actually been this close to fainting and she took several deep breaths, the queasy feeling in her stomach finally lessening.

Another dizzy little wave hit her when Regina rose from her chair. She was wearing a flowing black dress with white highlights in the front and sides. She looked like a goddess.

Emma glanced briefly at Henry. He was watching them both with a nervous look on his face. He seemed just as unsure about Regina's reaction as she was.

Emma took a tiny step back when Regina started walking toward her. She didn't want to run but every part of her body was telling her to. Why was she so afraid? Rejection, a little voice provided. She didn't want Regina telling her to leave. It would hurt so much and she was already on the verge of a nervous breakdown. What had Cora been thinking? Maybe she'd thought Emma would drop dead before she even got this far and all the problems would be solved.

Okay, focus Swan.

Regina was almost level with her now and she forced herself to stay in place.

Here it comes.

Emma stared mesmerized as Regina walked right into her personal space. She stopped mere inches away and Emma could feel the heat radiating off of her body. Her breath was tickling against the side of her face and she couldn't see anything beyond those brown eyes. She couldn't have moved even if she'd wanted to.

"You…" Regina began but it seemed like she didn't have any idea how to continue.

Instead she grabbed Emma's face with both hands and pulled her into a surprisingly passionate kiss.

All adrenalin left Emma's body in one swoop as soon as Regina's lips touched hers and she rested both hands against Regina's waist to stay upright. Heat flooded her entire system and her eyes closed without her consent. She pulled Regina closer and relished the feel of those soft lips moving against her own.

…

Emma bounced on her feet and glanced at the clock on the far side of the room. It was almost time to go. Her hands were sweaty and the fabric of her dark pants stuck to her legs in various uncomfortable places. She walked over to the mirror and glared at her reflection. She reached up to make sure that her hair was still smoothly pulled back into a ponytail before trailing her hands down to the collar of the beige shirt she was wearing.

"Good enough, stop freaking," she told herself and turned to leave. She hesitated at the door, thinking back to the previous evening.

Ugh that kiss. To say that she'd been surprised by the kiss would've been an understatement. Regina had knocked the air right out of her and she'd forgotten pretty much everything around them for several moments.

But with Henry only a few feet away she'd somehow managed to detach her mouth from Regina's and sit with them at the table. They'd already ordered dinner and Emma was served some lobster as well without a comment from the young waiter.

Henry seemed overjoyed to have his moms reunited and declared himself genius master of operations. But after stuffing his face he'd been pretty much dead on his feet after a day at the beach.

During dinner Regina had remained quiet, either looking at Henry or Emma with a thoughtful expression.

At least she hadn't right out sent her packing but Emma had the feeling that Regina wouldn't make this easy on her once she got over the initial shock.

Well, she'd had a night to think it over and Emma on her part hadn't gotten much sleep at all. She'd wrestled the promise from Regina to meet her for breakfast so they could talk. Now it was time for breakfast and she felt like hopping right back onto the plane. If she thought she'd been nervous the night before, then this was as close to a heart attack as she would get in the next fifty years or so.

She kept the kiss at the forefront of her mind, getting as much comfort and calm from the memory as she could. Regina wouldn't have kissed her if there wasn't a chance for them to figure everything out. And she wanted them to make this work.

She'd already known that a life without Regina and without Henry would be pretty bland and really lonely the moment she'd let Regina walk out of her apartment a few weeks ago. She still hadn't figured out how Regina had managed to track her down but she hoped that they would have plenty of time in the future to talk about all these things.

She exhaled quietly and left her bungalow. There were several restaurants all over the area that belonged to the hotel and they had agreed on a quaint little place right by the ocean.

She took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp morning air, and for the first time since her arrival took a moment to appreciate her surroundings. She'd never been to a place like this. Even though she still felt wildly out of place among those people who spent more money on a car than she would ever earn in her entire life, she had to admit that she enjoyed everything about the easiness of an expensive vacation. A super soft bed to sleep in, the sound of the ocean calming her and absolutely no need to cook for herself.

She walked along a shady path, palm trees on either side of her and watched the people milling about. Several families with children headed toward the beach while a group of young people had gathered at a nearby bar. She wasn't paying much attention to them until she saw someone approaching out of the corner of her eyes. The guy was wearing a blue collared shirt and shorts. He was grinning broadly and dragged a hand through his shaggy brown hair. Emma tilted her head to the side, thinking that he looked a little like an older version of Henry.

"Hey, uh, I just saw you walking by and I thought I'd ask if you wanna join us? I'd love to buy you a drink," the guy said as he stopped in front of her.

Emma raised her eyebrows. He probably wasn't much older than twenty-one and judging by the look of his friends they were a bunch of college kids. She was admittedly flattered by his attempt to flirt but could only smile at the thought of how this guy didn't have a snowball's chance in hell.

"Thanks but I'm meeting someone," she replied.

The guy seemed genuinely disappointed that she declined the offer but he still invited her to a party that was supposed to take place at a nearby club around ten that night. She left him hanging with an indecisive 'maybe' and went on her way with a grin on her face. A little ego boost seemed just like what she'd needed. Good to know she still had some game but that didn't mean she wanted to have any with anyone but Regina.

She kept walking down the shadowy path, her eyes on the ocean, until the little restaurant appeared around the next corner. A few people were sitting on the small veranda because the morning wasn't too hot yet. She couldn't see inside but guessed that they had some more tables there. She was about to move toward the entrance when she noticed a figure approaching from another path. She didn't need to see the woman's face to know it was Regina. The self-assured stride gave her away and Emma smiled as she turned to trail her gaze from shapely legs up to deep brown eyes.

Regina didn't return her smile but there was a certain warmth in her eyes that set Emma at ease.

"Hey."

"Hello Emma."

She hadn't expected another kiss but was still disappointed that Regina stopped several feet away from her. She was trying to control her eyes but they kept skipping across Regina's body. The forest green dress she was wearing ended mid-thigh and brought out the tan she seemed to have acquired after a few days in the sun.

"You… you look great."

"Thank you. You look lovely as well."

Emma tried to stand as still as humanly possible while Regina scrutinized her outfit. She'd tried to look as classy as possible, somehow hoping that if she could fit in at a place like this, she would also fit into Regina's life.

"Henry, is he…?"

"With my mother," Regina replied, finally meeting her eyes again, "she arrived this morning."

"Really? That's…uhm… that's great."

Regina nodded then inclined her head toward the restaurant. "Shall we?" She turned and walked over to one of the tables on the terrace somewhat separate from other guests. Emma followed her and sat opposite Regina with her back to the ocean. The view in front of her was much more fascinating than any body of water would ever be.

The waitress approached so quietly that Emma almost didn't notice her. Regina ordered a fruit plate and some French toast while Emma stuck with her usual omelet and bacon.

The waitress retreated as silently as she'd appeared and Emma leaned back into the chair. "So I'm guessing Cora took the earliest flight out of town."

Regina looked at her, not a single facial muscle betraying her thoughts. "She did."

"Alright…uh… so she told you how I managed to make it to Florida in the first place?"

"Oh yes, and if I hadn't seen you myself I would've thought she was making things up," Regina replied with a smirk.

Emma laughed quietly. "Yeah I was pretty surprised too."

"I'm glad she did. Give you her ticket I mean," Regina added, her voice low.


	23. You Want Me Too

Emma leaned back and crossed her hands over her stomach. She shouldn't have had any of that French toast after all. Now she was completely full and beginning to get sleepy when there was still so much they hadn't talked about. In fact they hadn't talked about anything important at all. Some pleasant conversation during breakfast was all good and well but not while she was trying to work up the courage to tell Regina that she wanted to return to Storybrooke.

The fear of rejection however made the words get stuck in her throat every time and she was basically waiting for Regina to give her an opening.

But of course she didn't make it that easy. Emma was trying her hardest not to stare. Here in this setting, with the sun just barely touching the side of her body, the waves sounding in the background, it was incredibly difficult to remember that they were not yet at a point where it was okay for her to just lean in and kiss those amazing full soft lips.

Regina's voice shocked her out of her reverie.

"Why did you though?"

"Why did I what?" Had she missed a part of their conversation?

"Why'd you come here?"

"I…uh…I well, I wanted to see you. And Henry." Emma began to fidget and smiled briefly at the waitress as she collected their empty plates. She glanced at Regina, noticing that she was still waiting for her to continue.

"Why don't we take a walk along the beach?"

Regina hesitated for a moment before nodding. Emma rose from her chair and led the way down the veranda and toward another shadowy path. Regina fell into step beside her and they kept walking silently until they were close enough for Emma to get rid of her shoes and dip her feet in the ocean.

The waves lapped gently at her ankles and she looked down at the white sand beneath her feet. A soft warm breeze brushed across her neck, allowing her to breathe more easily. She turned around to Regina who had also taken off her sandals and held her hand out to her. Regina didn't hesitate and entwined their fingers as they began walking along the beach. Emma squeezed Regina's warm soft hand and smiled.

"I came here because I needed to tell you that I can't stay away from Storybrooke. Not any longer. I want to come back, I want to be part of Henry's life, of your life too. I… I want us to work this out."

Regina stopped her with a gentle tug of her hand. Emma hesitated, she was afraid to turn and see rejection in brown eyes.

"It's not going to just all go away, what I did…and Henry, there is much to talk about, things to settle," Regina said quietly.

"I know. It's all I've been thinking about since you showed up at my apartment, hell since I've left Storybrooke. I still haven't figured out how you found me by the way."

Fingers came to rest against her cheek and with a bit of pressure Emma's head was turned.

Regina smiled softly. "I want us to work this out too. And we will, I promise. But I suggest we do that once we get back to Storybrooke. What do you say, why don't we try to enjoy this vacation? There's the beach, amazing food and great company, it would be a waste otherwise."

Emma felt her lips stretch into an answering smile. Could it really be this easy? Maybe it wasn't, but she wouldn't try to complicate things unnecessarily. There would still be time to talk about everything back in Storybrooke. They would figure out how to go on, Henry would have a say and she was more than ready to take it from there.

"I just need to know one thing," Regina said quietly.

Emma stepped closer, her hands trailing down toned arms until she gently held onto Regina's wrists with her fingertips. "Tell me."

"Will you ever be able to truly forgive what I've done?"

Emma took a deep breath, her chest expanding with the words she knew were true. "Yes. What happened hurt, a lot, but being without you, without Henry, hurts even more. I've made mistakes too, quite a few of them actually, and yet I'm here. None of this changes how I feel."

Regina made a little noise in the back of her throat before she pulled Emma into a soft embrace. Her hands settled at the small of Emma's back, drawing her closer until she rested her head against the blonde's shoulder.

"I don't know how you do it," she mumbled into Emma's neck.

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's warm body. "Do what?"

"Say just the right things. The first time we met, that night, you did it too."

Emma grinned. "I did? What'd I say?"

Regina cleared her throat and leaned closer, her lips brushing against the shell of Emma's ear. "You told me that I was breathtaking."

Emma closed her eyes at the memory, a shiver running down her spine.

"You are," she whispered.

She felt soft lips press against her cheek and a smile crept onto her face. Emma opened her eyes again and found Regina smiling back at her.

Happiness - that might possibly be what it felt like. Something clenched in her chest and she tightened her hold on Regina.

For a while she hadn't been sure that she would ever see that smile again, but things couldn't have gone better for her, for them. Despite the hurt, coming here, facing her own fears and trying to go after the things she wanted had been the right decision.

And right this moment she wanted nothing more than to kiss Regina.

She leaned in, her eyes seeking a brown gaze, until their lips almost brushed. Her heart was beating double-time and she could've sworn that she felt the heat from Regina's body all over her.

"Moms!"

Regina gasped, warm breath ghosting across Emma's lips. She stepped out of their embrace, turning in the direction of the voice. Emma scowled at the interruption but schooled her features into a friendly smile as she followed Regina's line of sight.

Henry was hurrying toward them with quick strides, Cora several paces behind him. Despite him stopping a potentially very pleasurable kiss, Emma was glad to see him. They hadn't talked too much the night before but he'd been at least excited to see her, more so than Regina, and judging by the broad grin on his face he was even happier to see them together now.

He basically raced across the remaining distance, launching himself into Regina and hugging her tightly. Emma watched the scene with a smile. Regina wrapped her arms around Henry and held him for several seconds before she raked a hand through his wind-tousled hair.

"Did you have a nice breakfast, dear?"

"Yeah it was really good, grandma got me an extra chocolate muffin afterward too."

Emma's eyes flickered over to Cora, finding dark eyes catching her gaze. She wasn't entirely certain but she could've sworn that she saw a tiny smile playing around the older woman's mouth. Approval perhaps? Well, without Cora she certainly wouldn't have made it this far.

"Miss Swan," Cora greeted her just as Henry moved from Regina's embrace to wrap his arms around her waist.

She hugged him back. "Hey kid."

"I'm glad you're here."

"I'm glad I'm here too, trust me on that."

She slowly let go of Henry. He looked from her to Regina. "So what do we do?"

Emma glanced at Regina before turning to Henry. "What do you mean?"

"Well, should we go swim? Go to the water park or just stay at the beach?"

"I…uh…I don't know," Emma answered slowly. Maybe she wouldn't even be welcome to join Regina, Cora and Henry since she was technically still crashing their family vacation. "Maybe you guys want to…uh…spend some time together, you know, family time."

Warm fingers brushed across the back of her hand and she glanced over to see Regina looking at her. "You're welcome to join us Emma."

Emma nodded briefly and Regina turned to Henry. "How about we spend the day at the beach?"

Henry grinned. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. Maybe I could learn how to surf?"

After Regina's eyebrow rose to her hairline he turned hopeful eyes to Cora, who pursed her lips to hide a smile. "Perhaps, let's get changed first, shall we?"

Henry skipped over to her and Cora rested her hand between his shoulder blades as they moved back toward the palm trees.

Emma turned to look at Regina, mouthing the word 'surfing'. She only received a shrug and slight thinning of lips in return.

#-#-#

"Ow…ow…stop touching it," Emma groused, raising her hands to bat away the fingers prodding at her forehead.

"You've been through worse Emma, so stop being such a baby."

"Who're you calling a baby? I wanna see you smack your forehead on a surfboard and then we'll talk."

Regina stared at her with a raised eyebrow until Emma grimaced. "Okay, yeah, I know you fell off your horse and hit your head much harder than I did, but it still hurts."

Emma was trying to pout, something she'd seen Henry do millions of times to get Regina to do whatever he wanted. I didn't exactly work but she noticed Regina biting her bottom lip to keep from smiling while she once again raised the ice pack in her hand and gently pressed it against the bump on Emma's forehead.

"Why did you get up on the surfboard in the first place if you knew your sense of balance rivals that of a toddler?"

Emma glared. "It does not. I am very capable of staying upright on any moving surface, the wave was just too big."

"Henry made it."

Before Emma could utter another retort, Regina took the ice bag away from her forehead to scrutinize the reddish bump that was most likely forming there.

"How bad is it?"

"I think you'll live."

"Thank you Doctor Mills, I was worried for a second there." Emma snatched the ice pack out of Regina's grasp and scooted up the bed to lie down. She closed her eyes and plopped the ice onto her forehead with a groan.

Her head felt like someone had stepped on it and danced a quick tango. Her forehead throbbed and she felt every heartbeat drum along her temples with an uncomfortable pressure.

After Henry had decided that he wanted to learn how to surf, Cora had paid for an instructor and somehow the kid had managed to rope her into joining him. It had been fun for a while but once the waves had reached a certain height she just hadn't been able to stay upright. In fact she'd made a complete idiot of herself by smacking into the board headfirst, almost knocking herself unconscious. Needless to say the surfing lesson had ended right then and there.

The bed dipped beside her and Emma cracked an eye open to see Regina settling beside her.

"I suppose we should refrain from doing any sportive activities since it seems to end with one of us getting injured every time."

"Yeah agreed." Emma smiled and took a deep, albeit quiet, breath. She inhaled the subtle fragrance of Regina's perfume – or maybe it was Regina's very own scent – and turned her head to the side.

Regina had closed her eyes, simply resting beside her on the bed like it was nothing out of the ordinary for them. Emma couldn't have stopped the broad grin stretching her cheeks even if she'd wanted to. If there was a future for her in which she would be allowed this view every morning for the rest of her life, she would do whatever it took to get there. So, without another word, Emma rolled to her side and pulled Regina into her arms.

She felt Regina stiffen and scooted closer with little wriggles of her body until she could throw her leg over both of Regina's.

A beautiful little laugh escaped the body beneath her and Emma grinned, raising her head from where it was nestled against Regina's neck.

"That okay?"

Regina relaxed against her and hummed quietly. She moved her hands to rest on Emma's hip and shoulder. A soft kiss was pressed against her temple and Emma returned to burying her nose in the soft skin beneath Regina's jaw. She inhaled quietly and sighed while the sounds of waves lapping against the shore slowly lulled her to sleep.


	24. I've Got Lovin' Arms

Regina woke with a start. Her entire body gave a small jerk and she was suddenly wide awake. Something warm and heavy was pinning her to the soft mattress and it took several seconds until she became aware of the light puffs of air dancing across the side of her jaw.

Her lips stretched into a smile as the memories slowly caught up with what her body was currently feeling. Emma.

After the disastrous surfing lesson she'd offered to take Emma to her room. Cora and Henry had made their way to the water park instead and even though she would've loved to see her mother attempting to conquer a water slide, she felt perfectly happy right where she was.

Her hands moved along smooth warm skin and she was reminded of the night everything began. It seemed like such an impossible coincidence now, but maybe it had been meant to happen this way. Whatever the cause, she couldn't have wished for a better outcome. Emma was like a missing piece in her life finally sliding into its place.

Emma mumbled something and soft lips pressed against her throat. Regina smiled and buried her fingers in golden tresses to soothe Emma back to sleep. She turned her head toward the balcony and watched the sun slowly descending below the ocean's horizon.

She wasn't someone to walk around with her eyes wide open, looking, searching for happiness, but she could admit that right in this moment she felt nothing but happy.

Emma was still breathing quietly beside her and she somehow managed to wriggle her body out of the blonde's grasp without waking her. She grumbled quietly as Regina slid from the bed but her pillow seemed to be a suitable replacement that kept Emma smiling in her sleep. She eyed the angry bruise on Emma's forehead briefly. It would certainly hurt for a while but it wasn't anything Emma couldn't handle. She made a mental note to get her another bag of ice before dinner.

She tiptoed out of the room toward the telephone in living area. She needed to make a few short calls before waking Emma. It took only a few minutes until she had arranged dinner and invited Henry and Cora to join them. Her mother had declined, politely as ever, but she could detect exhaustion in her low voice. It seemed like Henry had completely worn out his grandmother in the water park and Regina smiled as she quietly moved back to the bedroom where Emma was still sleeping soundly.

Blonde hair was splayed across the pillow and her features were relaxed in sleep. Her nose was buried in the pillow Regina had left her with and it seemed like nothing was wrong in the world.

She sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to trace her fingertips along Emma's forehead, where the red bump sat front and center, down her temple and across prominent cheekbones to perfectly shaped lips. Emma mumbled quietly and she scrunched her face before finally opening her eyes with a small yawn. It took mere moments until she had focused on Regina and she stretched her arms with a grin.

"This is the best way to wake up," she mumbled.

"What if I tell you that dinner's already waiting for us?"

"You're perfect, you know that right?"

Regina chuckled quietly and softly stroked Emma's hair away from her face. "Get dressed, we don't want to be late."

…

"That was amazing," Emma groaned, patting her stomach with one hand while taking a sip of wine with the other.

Regina smiled, swirling her own wine in her glass with a nod. "I agree, the food here is really excellent."

Henry grinned at her from where he was perched on his comfortable beach chair between them. "I think it's really cool we did room service tonight," Henry said and dropped his head into his hand, a yawn forcing him to close his eyes for a few seconds.

Regina could tell that he was completely worn out from the day and it wouldn't take much longer until he couldn't even keep his eyes open despite his protests that he wasn't tired at all. She watched Henry for several more moments before she gazed across the expanse of ocean in front of them. They'd gathered on the balcony of the bungalow she shared with Henry and it had been a warm and peaceful evening.

Glancing at Emma, she eyed the red bruise that was still very present on her forehead. Emma didn't seem to be in pain at all but she had organized another bag filled with ice still waiting in the small freezer. She got up to stretch her legs and gently smoothed her hand through Henry's hair before looking at Emma.

"I'll get you some ice," she said quietly.

Emma nodded with a frown and reached up to carefully touch the bump on her forehead, flinching when she made contact.

Making her way into the living area, Regina deposited her wine glass on a nearby table and walked over to the small refrigerator. She opened the freezer and plucked a small bag from it before making her way back to the balcony. She was about to step outside but Emma and Henry's voices halted her.

She leaned against the doorframe and closed her eyes, listening.

"I knew you'd come," Henry said.

"Yeah? You're pretty smart for your age that's for sure."

She heard the grin in Henry's voice. "I gave grandma the envelope to make sure she would know what to do if you got there while we were gone."

Regina nodded to herself as she remembered. She'd seen Henry give an envelope to her mother and because it had seemed like he was trying to be sneaky about it she'd refrained from asking any questions. Cora had eventually pinned it to the refrigerator with a magnet shortly before they'd left. So that had been part of Henry's plan all along.

"Swan Retrieval," she murmured, shaking her head at her son's brilliance.

"There's… there's something I wanted to talk about when you came back," Henry continued and Regina fought the urge to leave. It surely wasn't very polite to eavesdrop like this but she seemed unable to just walk away.

"What's that kid? You know you can talk to me about anything."

"I just…I wanted you to know that I know why you did it."

"Did what kid?"

"Give me away."

She heard Emma suck in a surprised breath and chanced a glance around the balcony door to see Henry getting up from his chair and sitting down next to Emma.

"You wanted me to have my best chance at being happy right? That's what mom always said."

Emma sniffled quietly and Regina rested a hand against her chest, willing her heart to stop its erratic beating

Henry was a bright child and she wasn't surprised that he was having this particular conversation with Emma. He'd always been curious about his birth mother, and she'd never made a secret out of the fact that he was adopted, but she'd also never expected him to actually meet the woman who'd given him away at birth.

"Yes Henry, you're absolutely right," Emma eventually answered, "at the time I couldn't take care of you, it would've been… I just knew that you would be better off with someone else, but that doesn't mean I didn't think about you. You were always on my mind and I never forgot about you, not for a single second. And I couldn't be happier knowing that Regina is your mom."

"I know, and you're here now. So that pretty much makes us a family and I think that's just awesome, don't you?"

Emma pulled Henry into a hug, placing a kiss against the top of his head. "Yeah, that's freaking awesome."

Regina took a small step backward, out of view, and filled her lungs with a long deep breath. The ice bag in her hand had already begun to melt between her fingers in the warm evening air and she took another steadying breath before walking out onto the balcony.

"I couldn't find the ice right away," she announced, smiling at the curled up position of Henry and Emma.

Henry reached out for the ice bag and she handed it over to him. He was trying to be helpful, of course, but in his enthusiasm ended up banging the ice against Emma's forehead with a little more force than necessary. Emma winced but still took the bag graciously.

"I think it's bedtime for one of us," she announced and Henry groaned.

"But mooom…"

"No discussion dear, you know tomorrow is going to be another long day, so get up and get ready for bed. Tell Emma goodnight and I'll tuck you in."

Henry grumbled a little until another yawn threatened to split his face in half. He grinned sheepishly at Emma and they hugged before he scampered off into the bungalow toward the bathroom.

Regina took the chair Henry had vacated and reclined with a sigh.

"So how much did you hear?" Emma asked.

"Whatever are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, it doesn't take ten minutes to find a bag of ice."

Regina remained silent for several moments until Emma continued quietly.

"Did you really tell him that I gave him away because I wanted him to be happy?"

Regina turned her head to look at Emma. "Didn't you?"

"Of course."

"Then what else could I have possibly told him? It's the truth after all."

Emma reached over to entwine her fingers with Regina's.

"Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me, I'm just… I'm glad that it turned out like this, even after everything."

Emma was about to reply when Henry appeared in the door. "Mom, tuck me in?"

Regina got up with a smile. "Of course."

"Night Emma," Henry added sleepily before stumbling to his room, Regina following with light steps.

He crawled into bed slowly and Regina reached down to cover him with a light blanket. She sat down at the edge of the bed and held his small hand between hers. "Are you happy dear?"

Henry seemed to understand what she was asking and smiled with droopy eyes. "Yeah."

She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Goodnight, sleep well."

Henry nodded and turned to his side. "Night Ma."

Regina made sure that the he was covered with the blanket and got up to leave the room.

"Hey Mom?"

She turned around and inclined her head. "Yes?"

"Are you happy?"

A small laugh escaped her, her fingertips flying up to ghost across her lips. The answer had been right at the tip of her tongue before Henry had even finished asking his question.

"I am. Very much."

"Good," Henry mumbled, another yawn finally drawing him under. He curled around his pillow, like she'd seen Emma do mere hours before, and fell asleep.

She stood in the door for another minute, simply watching Henry sleep. He'd seemed a little down ever since Emma had left Storybrooke, but these past two days had him grinning and laughing, just having fun. Finally.

She stepped out into the hallway and quietly closed the door before moving back to the balcony where Emma was still sitting in one of the comfortable beach chairs.

The sun was completely gone now and the entire scene was bathed in soft moonlight. Emma held her arms out and Regina lowered herself to sit in front of Emma without a word. Strong arms encircled her waist and she leaned back into the warm body beneath her.

She enjoyed the nightly sounds and the cool breeze brushing across her skin. Emma's embrace made her feel safe and calm. She turned to her side and burrowed closer until her nose was resting against a soft spot underneath Emma's jaw. The arms around her tightened for a moment and Emma's entire body seemed to sigh contentedly.

"Graham offered me a job," Emma said out of nowhere.

Regina understood the words, but she had difficulties making sense of them. "Graham who?"

"Graham the Sheriff, Storybrooke's Sheriff, you know, kinda gruff sort of good-looking. He offered me a job before I left, and… and I think I'd like to take it."

Regina was silent for several seconds. "You… you think he's good-looking?"

A short laugh escaped Emma's lips and she waited until Regina had sat up to look at her. "That's what you got from what I just said?"

"I… really? I mean Storybrooke is not like Boston, and it can get fairly quiet. People call each other by their first names. You'll have to get kittens from trees."

It was very much unlike Regina to ramble like this but she knew she couldn't give in to elation just yet. If Emma really decided to live and work in Storybrooke she needed to know what she was getting herself into.

But Emma only smiled and cradled Regina's face in her hands, effectively silencing her. "And you know what else is going to be in Storybrooke?"

Regina only looked at her, waiting silently.

"You and Henry are going to be there, and that's all that matters."

Emma leaned forward and kissed Regina gently. Her lips were warm and soft, the perfect balance between pressure and tease. Regina reached up and carefully buried her hands in blonde tresses to pull Emma closer and deepen the kiss. She settled against Emma's soft and warm body, enjoying the feel of them being together like this. There was no urgency, only the sweet time spent getting reacquainted.

Regina traced her tongue lovingly along Emma's bottom lip, sucking on it slowly before releasing it and drawing back. "I want you to come back to Storybrooke with us Emma."

"I want that too."


	25. To Hold On

"Nice tan you've got there Emma, went on vacation without telling anyone huh?" Ruby grinned down at her and Emma smiled sheepishly.

"About that… I'm really sorry I left without saying goodbye Rubes, I just needed to… uh… get away. Some stuff happened and I had to figure out what to do with my life."

"So you're back for good now?" Ruby asked, tapping her pen against the little notepad in her hand.

"Well –"

Emma was about to answer but got distracted by the jingling bell above the door, announcing another customer. She smiled at the sight of Regina in her impeccable pencil skirt and blouse. Dark eyes scanned the diner quickly before coming to rest on where Emma was already seated in a booth.

Ruby raised her eyebrows as Regina headed straight for them. "Nice tan you've got there Madame Mayor, been on vacation huh?"

Ruby grinned cheekily as Emma shot her a glare.

"I was indeed," Regina answered, she sat down across from Emma without hesitation and looked up at Ruby with a tight smile, "the usual for me Miss Lucas."

"A burger with fries for Emma and a chicken salad coming right up," Ruby announced, winking at Emma before heading back toward the kitchen.

Emma sighed, catching Regina's raised eyebrow. She shook her head. "Don't ask."

"Fine, I won't," Regina answered, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other, "so how did it go with the Sheriff?"

Emma grinned and raked a hand through her hair. "I've got the job, I'm starting Monday."

Regina's entire face softened and an answering smile spread across her features. "I'm glad. I hope you'll enjoy police work. I doubt there'll be much excitement but sometimes Mrs. Gruber's dog runs away into the woods, so that means some extra exercise."

Emma laughed quietly and nodded. "Sounds perfect to me."

She watched Regina begin to fidget slightly. It was just a tiny movement really, her fingers dancing across the silverware on a napkin next to her hand. She remained silent and waited patiently.

"Have you thought about where you're going to stay? The Bed and Breakfast is certainly a possibility, even though it is for guests rather than residents. Not that we have a lot of guests coming to Storybrooke… either way, have you given it some thought?"

"Actually, Graham said that there's an apartment near the station that I could rent. I'm going to look at it later today but it seems to be a good deal."

Regina nodded. "That sounds like a reasonable solution. What about your things? I mean you probably have to get furniture and other belongings from Boston?"

"Uhm… not really. Most of my stuff is in my car anyways and I rented the place in Boston already furnished. My lease will be up next month anyways and I've already contacted the landlord that I won't be coming back. She offered to send me anything that I might've left."

Emma looked down at the table, picking up the crinkled paper of her straw and dipping it into the little water ring that had formed around the bottom of her glass of coke. It seemed even more pathetic now, that all of her belongings fit into her admittedly rather small car. There was hardly anything she was fond of aside from her leather jackets and a pair of old worn boots.

She'd always told herself that it was because she wasn't home much anyway due to her job, but in hindsight she had to admit that she never wanted to get attached to anything because it was most likely to get lost or break.

She looked up when warm fingers covered her still moving hand.

Regina had leaned forward and was looking at her with a furrowed brow. "Are you alright?"

Emma smiled and turned her hand so that her fingers slipped between Regina's. "Yeah I'm fine. Just thinking. I… uh… I really feel like it's time for me to settle, or rather find a place that doesn't make me want to live out of my car most of the time."

"And have you?"

"Found it you mean? Yeah, I definitely have," Emma replied with a grin.

Regina was smiling brightly but their little moment was interrupted by Ruby. She grinned down at their entwined hands and they reluctantly released each other so that Ruby could put down the food.

"Enjoy you two," she chirped, the smirk on her face still a little too smug for Emma's liking.

"Thank you Miss Lucas," Regina replied politely.

Ruby turned around and Emma glanced at her food, but suddenly Ruby was beside their table again. "I just want to say that I think this is great, I mean both of you are so cute together and I'm just really happy for you."

Regina was basically staring at Ruby open-mouthed while Emma was hoping for a hole in the ground to swallow her, or Ruby, or both of them.

"Thank you, Ruby. I guess," Emma eventually answered and Ruby beamed. She turned and walked away with a bounce in her step.

She turned back to Regina and found the mayor staring down at her salad with an unreadable expression.

"That was… uh… unexpected huh?" Emma ventured in a light tone but frowned when Regina didn't react.

"Hey listen, I'll go tell Ruby to keep it quiet," Emma offered. She was about to get up from the booth when Regina's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"No it's fine, really."

Emma slowly lowered herself back to her seat. "You sure? It's not a big deal, if you're uncomfortable with people in town knowing that you and I are… sort of working things out, I can make sure Ruby won't go screaming it from the rooftops."

"I'm not uncomfortable at all, it's just something I have never had to deal with before, not like this. Frankly, I don't care what people in town think or who knows, the only one who matters is Henry."

"I agree," Emma answered, finally turning to her burger and fries.

Regina's hand that had previously been wrapped around her wrist snagged one of her fries and she watched with a small smile as Regina ate it daintily.

"You could've ordered some you know."

Regina shrugged and speared some salad onto her fork. "I don't eat greasy food."

"Yeah right," Emma snorted and smiled to herself.

To Emma it seemed like they'd just taken a major step forward and skirted around a discussion that could've been quite strenuous on their blossoming relationship.

Ever since returning from Florida a few days prior she'd lived in a constant state of happiness and she wondered when that feeling would finally wear off. Well, it wasn't about to happen any time soon and they ate in companionable silence until Regina had to return to her office.

Standing outside Granny's, Emma shoved her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket.

"Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" Regina asked.

"I'd love to."

Emma closed her eyes as Regina leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss against the corner of her mouth.

"See you later."

"Yeah," Emma answered dumbly and watched Regina saunter off toward her car. Oh yeah she was definitely more than happy.

...

Regina slowly rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. A headache was starting to form behind her eyes and she had another dozen or so tax reports to go over.

A knock on her door caused her to look up. "Come in."

Her assistant stepped into the office, her arms full of folders. "Here are the lists you wanted to see. I also have an overview of the money we made from the fair."

Regina nodded. "Thank you Aurora, I'll take a look later."

"So, how was your vacation?" Aurora asked.

Regina raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like her assistant to inquire about her personal life but she recalled the conversation they'd had soon after Emma had left Storybrooke. Aurora had told her that going after what she really wanted was never easy. And she couldn't have been more right with that.

"It was fine actually, very… relaxing."

Aurora hummed quietly. "That's great. Oh and have you heard? It seems like we have a new deputy in town."

Regina narrowed her eyes at her assistant's innocent tone. "Yes I'm aware."

"Does the new deputy happen to drive a yellow bug?"

"Indeed she does," Regina replied.

Aurora smiled. "Well great."

She looked like she was about say more when a knock at the office doors interrupted them. The tip of a dark cane pushed the door open further and Gold stepped inside.

"I apologize for showing up unannounced but it seems the front desk is understaffed," Gold said with a vile little smile.

Regina frowned and shot a quick nod toward Aurora. "That'll be all for now."

"I'll be right outside Madame Mayor," she answered and quietly moved past Gold, closing the door on her way out.

"Make an appointment next time," Regina said coldly, leaning back in her leather chair and balancing a pen between her fingers.

"Well seeing how this is a particular visit, I assume that there will be no next time Madame Mayor," Gold replied.

"So you're here to call in that favor."

"I am indeed."

Gold slowly moved to the chair in front of her desk and lowered himself to sit, both hands resting on top of his cane.

Regina clenched her jaw, her fingers idly twirling the black pen in her hands. "So what is it you want Gold?"

"There is someone I need to find and since I've helped you locate certain individuals before, it only seems fair that you do the same for me."

Regina furrowed her brow. Why in the world did Gold think she would know how to track down people when she'd asked for his assistance with the same task not too long ago? There had to be a catch and knowing Gold it wasn't going to be pleasant. She remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

Gold smiled briefly but leveled her with a serious glance a moment later. "I'm aware that it must seem odd, me asking you for this, but I have my reasons. There is someone from my past whom I've tried to reconnect with for many, many years but they have alluded me so far. Now, it has come to my notice that Deputy Swan has a special talent for finding people who do not want to be found."

"What are you saying Gold?" Regina asked between clenched teeth.

"Let me make it clear Madame Mayor, I need you to send Deputy Swan on a mission. She is the only with the required abilities and I'm sure she wouldn't be inclined to help me without your influence. I want you to convince her to find that one specific person for me and if she succeeds, your debt will be repaid."

The pen in Regina's hands snapped cleanly in half, small pieces of plastic raining down her desk. "This deal is between you and me Gold, not Mi… Deputy Swan."

"I think the alternative would be even less pleasant, wouldn't you agree?"

…

She stared at the small orange light that indicated the oven was turned on. The rich smell of lasagna was starting to waft through her kitchen but she barely registered it. She was deeply in thought, her mind trying to bend and shape the new information in a way that would finally make sense. But none of it did. Not really.

Why did Gold have to involve Emma in this? There was something else, something he wasn't telling her. Gold was a man of many secrets and she'd never cared to dig deeper, but now it seemed that she wasn't getting the whole picture and that unnerved her more than she was willing to admit.

A knock at the front door shook her out of her thoughts and she took a quiet breath. She fluffed her hair with both hands while she made her way to the door.

Emma was waiting on the other side with a smile on her face and a bottle of wine in her hands. She shuffled her feet and glanced up at Regina almost nervously.

Regina couldn't help but smile in return at how utterly adorable Emma was being. "Would you like to come inside?"

"Yes," Emma replied and handed her the wine bottle.

Regina glanced at the label and led the way into the kitchen. Emma groaned behind her. "It smells amazing in here."

"Thank you," she replied and put the wine down, "the lasagna will be ready soon."

Emma shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans."Awesome. Where's Henry?"

"Upstairs doing his homework."

"Right. Good."

Regina smiled at Emma's nervousness and inclined her head toward the living room. "Would you like to sit down until dinner is ready?"

"Yeah, sure."

Together they left the kitchen and settled on the couch instead. Emma sat down, leaving a respectable distance between them, resting her hands in her lap.

Regina had no idea what could've possibly happened between this afternoon and now that made Emma so nervous but she intended to find out. She intentionally scooted closer and waited for Emma to meet her eyes before she reached out and trailed her fingertips along a prominent cheekbone to a slender neck, her thumb stroking back and forth across the underside of Emma's jaw. "What's wrong?"

Emma relaxed into the touch, her eyes closing briefly. "Nothing. I mean nothing serious, I'm just being… me."

Regina raised her eyebrows. "What does that mean?"

"It's just… I'm not used to being this happy. Everything almost seems too good, you know? I guess I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Emma, you deserve happiness," Regina said quietly, her heart clenching painfully at Emma's words. She leaned forward, invading Emma's personal space, and gently brushed her lips across the blonde's.

Emma responded to the kiss and raised her hands to cradle Regina's face between them. She scooted even closer and wrapped her arms around Emma, fingers tangling in the blonde tresses at Emma's neck. She felt the urge to have Emma as close as possible, very well knowing that Gold's request could soon take Emma far away if she didn't find a way out of this deal.


	26. She Did Everything Right

Emma groaned quietly and rubbed her eyes. She trudged across the street and hid a yawn behind her hand.

When she'd taken the job as deputy, Graham had more or less promised her manageable hours and lots of days filled with boring paperwork, but apparently that wasn't the case now. It was barely past three in the morning and Graham's call had woken her from a very pleasant dream about a white sand beach and Regina.

"At least no cowboys and horses," she mumbled to herself and pulled her leather jacket tighter around herself.

As soon as she set foot into the Sheriff's Station she had to turn right back around because Graham hurried past her to the cruiser, clipping his gun to his belt along the way. "Come on, we've got a break in."

"Seriously?" Emma asked, getting into the car as well, "I thought things like that don't happen in Storybrooke."

"Well, not very often, but every once in a while they do," Graham answered, putting the car in reverse and speeding down the deserted street.

"So what's happened?"

"I got a call from Mrs. Burrows down on Wesley Avenue. She said someone was sneaking around in her vegetable garden and even went to her backdoor."

Emma rolled her eyes and burrowed into the car seat. "That sounds more like some prank than someone trying to break in."

"We still need to check it out," Graham answered.

After a short ride he turned onto a dimly lit street and stopped the car in front of an ordinary looking town house. "Okay we'll go separately. I take left, you go right. If you see something or someone, don't try to engage them. Come find me first, alright?"

"Yeah sure," Emma mumbled, climbing out of the car and following Graham up the darkened driveway. She'd been in far more dangerous situations than this and had never needed any backup whatsoever, but since Graham was technically her boss, she was willing to do the whole teamwork thing.

He gave her some weird hand signs to which she nodded in return before walking around the house, trying to go about it as quietly as possible. The small path led her to a wooden garden door that stood slightly ajar. She stepped closer and carefully opened the door so she could slip into the backyard.

Everything was pretty dark and the clouds above blocked out any and all moonlight. She squinted and tried to rely on her hearing rather than sight while she slowly moved further into the backyard. She could make out the shape of a tree, something that looked like a large rain barrel near the house and a small areaclosed off by a tent that was probably the vegetable garden.

She looked around, still walking slowly toward the back of the house. Something soft was squished beneath her boot and she knelt down, finding a trail of something round leading from the vegetable garden. She picked one of the round things up and raised her eyebrows as she brought it closer to her face. A tomato.

"Interesting."

She sighed quietly and dropped the tomato. Some wild animal had probably tried to steal a couple of veggies, got too close to the house and scared the owner. Case closed. Maybe she could go back to bed now. It was way too early and therefore too chilly to be traipsing around town like this.

It seemed completely unnecessary that Graham had called her out for something like this but maybe it was some kind of test - to see whether she was willing to do the job properly. Well next time he could go chase some raccoon by himself.

Emma lazily stretched her arms above her head and kept on walking toward the back of the house to meet Graham. She was just about to round the corner when something dark and decidedly larger than a raccoon blurred past her, knocking her flat on her ass.

It took her a moment to get her bearings and suddenly Graham was beside her, grabbing her shoulder. "Emma. Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine, I think someone just bumped into me. They went that way. Go."

After looking her over, Graham jumped up and hurried in the direction of the garden door.

Emma groaned quietly and got to her feet, brushing dirt and the remains of another squished tomato off her boot. "Great, just great."

She slowly followed after Graham, keeping her eyes peeled for any and all movement. She crept around the house and through the garden door, back to the driveway. She glanced up and down the street but the only thing she saw was Graham jogging back in her direction.

"Find anything?"

Graham shook his head. "Whoever that was, they're gone. Did you see anything? Was it a man or a woman?"

"No, all I saw was a shadow. I couldn't even tell you whether it was taller than me or not. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay. You can wait in the car if you like, I'll go talk to Mrs. Burrows for a moment."

Emma nodded and shivered in the cool nightly breeze. She took a deep breath, the smell of oncoming rain causing her to quickly move to the car and climb inside. She cranked up the heat and burrowed into the seat, staring through the windshield at the darkened houses on either side of the street. What the hell had just happened out there?

She was pretty sure someone had bumped into her but it had been way too dark to really see anything. Maybe someone had really tried to break into the house but in that case it had been a very clumsy attempt to begin with. Emma was familiar with the methods most small-time crooks used and at the first sign of being detected they made a run for it. As soon as Graham's car had pulled up in front of the house, anyone with malicious intent and the tiniest bit of skill would've run for the hills, not waiting for police to stumble across them.

She rubbed her forehead with her knuckles before tugging on the collar of her jacket. Whatever, there would be time to sort through this in the morning. She jerked slightly as Graham opened the door dropped into the driver's seat beside her.

"Mrs. Burrows didn't see much either," he commented, starting the car. "She said she saw something big and dark sneaking through her yard and called us. Not much to go on. I'll come back in a couple of hours and look at everything again, maybe I can get some prints or something."

"Sounds like a plan," Emma mumbled.

Graham took her back to the apartment near the station that she'd rented earlier in the week. She shot him a small smile when he told her that she didn't have to be at work until noon before she trotted to her front door. She gave Graham one last wave before unlocking the door and stepping inside.

Her apartment looked still pretty bare. Aside from a few clothes strewn about, a couch and a small flat screen there was nothing in the apartment that would indicate someone was actually living here.

Absolutely nothing like Regina's house. The white mansion on Mifflin Street was impeccably decorated, speaking of an owner with a great taste in interior design, and there was always the smell of flowers or cooking in the air. It just seemed much livelier with two more people in the same place. It was a home.

Emma shrugged out of her jacket with a sigh, took her boots off and dragged her feet over to the bed, only to collapse face first onto the mattress. She groaned quietly, too tired to change out of her clothes. Dragging the comforter up with her foot she pulled it over her body and fell asleep mere minutes later.

…

An incessant knocking sounded inside her skull. She buried her head further into the soft pillow and tried to ignore the pounding until she realized that the noise was coming from somewhere outside.

She pried one eye open and tried to figure out what was going on. Storybrooke. Her apartment. Right.

And someone was knocking on her door. She knew that knock.

She pushed herself up and got out of bed, raking a hand through her tussled hair. "Coming," she yelled.

Pulling the shirt that was bunched around her waist back down to cover her stomach, she hurried to the door and pulled it open, finding a frowning Regina on the other side.

"Uh…hi."

"Why didn't you call me?"

Emma stepped aside as Regina entered the apartment with a few quick strides. She scratched the back of her head and closed the door, watching Regina take in her surroundings.

"I was asleep," she replied, trying to stifle a yawn.

"So I had to hear it from Sheriff Humbert that you were attacked last night?" Regina asked quietly.

Emma blinked several times, realizing that Regina was actually pissed. She raised her hands in a calming gesture and took a few steps toward the other woman. "I'm sorry, I really wasn't thinking. Truth is, I wasn't actually attacked, someone merely ran into me."

"Someone who could've had a knife on them, or a gun," Regina hissed.

Emma inclined her head and opened her arms slightly. She was aware that Regina wasn't actually mad at her for what happened, but rather scared of what could've happened.

"I'm okay, I'm right here. And I'm sorry for not calling. I fell asleep as soon as I got here and well," she looked down at her rumpled shirt and open pants, "I just woke up."

Regina followed her gaze, briefly stopping at her unbuttoned, tight-fitting jeans.

She took a deep breath and her face softened. "I apologize Emma, I'm… not sure what came over me. When Graham called earlier I simply overreacted. I've never had to deal with worrying about anything like this. Aside from scuffed knees and getting the cold a few times a year Henry has never actually been hurt seriously, for which I am more than thankful. It's just new to me, that's what I mean."

Emma smiled and finally closed the distance between them, pulling Regina into a tight embrace. "It's new for me too, having someone worry about me," she whispered.

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's waist and they stayed silent for several moments before Regina held her at arm's length. "So you're really alright?"

"Yeah. There may have been someone trying to break into the house and they got scared and ran, I just happened to be in the way. I got knocked on my butt and that's it."

"Does it… hurt?" Regina asked, a playful smile lifting the corners of her mouth, the worried look disappearing from her face.

"Not at all, wanna see?"

Emma grinned and Regina licked her lips, her eyes roaming across Emma's body before pulling her close again and kissing her soundly. Emma hummed happily and let her hands travel along Regina's back up to her shoulders and down to her waist.

She buried her hands in the soft material of Regina's blazer and sucked a full bottom lip between her teeth to soothe the sting of a gentle bite with her tongue. A small noise escaped the back of Regina's throat and warm feeling centered in her lower belly.

They broke the kiss and Emma panted gently, lips barely touching Regina's. "Do you ever think about that night?"

There was no need to clarify which night she was talking about. Brown eyes searched her face briefly. "I have," Regina whispered, her voice that deep velvety caress Emma enjoyed so much.

"Me too," Emma answered, pulling their bodies together. She raised her hands and buried them both in soft dark hair, leaning in to claim red lips with her own.

They kept kissing and somehow managed to stumble through the small living area toward the bedroom. Only when her knees bumped into the edge of the bed, did she realize that this was going much further than she'd anticipated.

Struggling to break from the kiss, she panted quietly, watching the dazed expression on Regina's face.

"Are we… don't you have work?"

A sound of displeasure escaped from Regina's throat and she closed her eyes briefly. "I do."

Emma smiled and leaned in, her lips close to Regina's ear. "You know I don't want you to go right?"

Regina sighed and wrapped her arms around Emma's waist. "Yes, but you're right. I got carried away. I came here to also invite you to dinner again. Henry will be with friends and it would be just the two of us."

Emma leaned back and grinned happily. "Maybe we could pick up where we left off."

A strange expression flittered across Regina's face, her brows and lips drawing into a frown. "There is something I need to talk to you about."

"Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good." Emma chuckled but Regina's serious stare sobered her quickly. "Alright."

Regina reached up and cradled Emma's face between her palms, leaning in to brush their lips together. "It won't hurt us. I promise. I've made the mistake keeping something very important from you and I won't repeat it."

Emma took a quiet breath and nodded. "Okay."

Regina pulled them together once more before stepping back and tugging at her blouse and jacket. "I'll see you tonight."

Emma smiled and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Regina's mouth. They stared at each other for several seconds until Regina seemed to shake herself out of the moment and turned to walk out of the bedroom, toward the front door. Emma heard the faint noise of the door opening.

"Make sure you're hungry," Regina called from the living area before the door closed again.

Emma raked both hands through her hair and tugged at the strands between her fingers. Regina wanted to talk about something and it caused an instant knot to form in the pit of her stomach. Naturally. None of those conversations had ever ended well but this time she was willing to believe in Regina's promise.

She was actually glad that they wouldn't be keeping secrets from one another anymore, not that she'd planned on lying to Regina or Henry in the first place, but it was something she now had to rely on.

The first time it had hurt way too much and she couldn't go through something like that ever again. It would destroy her. It was hard enough to trust people, to let others into her life because that meant making herself vulnerable to pain and disappointment.

She took another breath and flopped down onto her bed. "No reason to freak out just yet. Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll handle it."

She closed her eyes and bit her lip in thought. There were much more pleasant things she could be focusing on. Like the way Regina had kissed her, fingers insistently tugging at her hair, and that tongue doing wonderful things.

Emma groaned quietly and rolled onto her side, grabbing a pillow and clutching it to her stomach.

…

Dinner time found Emma nervously shifting on Regina's front step. She had yet to knock because that strange feeling in her belly was still there, causing her to hesitate.

She'd been telling herself all day that there was absolutely nothing to worry about, at least not yet, but a small part of her was still convinced that things would come crashing down around her without a warning.

The door in front of her swung open and she took a small startled step backward.

"I was thinking that you would get a cold if I let you stand out here any longer," Regina said quietly and Emma slowly shuffled toward the warmth emanating from the open doorway.

She hadn't realized that it was actually pretty chilly but now her entire body began shivering slightly. "Sorry, I was just trying to convince myself that this is not a typical 'we need to talk' conversation."

Regina stepped aside and let Emma enter.

She frowned slightly as she took the red leather jacket to hang it in the closet in the hallway. "I wish I knew what I could to do to help you disperse these doubts."

Emma shook her head and immediately pulled Regina into a tight embrace. "You are doing it every time we're together. I trust you Regina, I truly do. I haven't said that to a lot of people in my life and I know that I don't open up very easily, but I want to let you in, more than anyone ever before."

Regina leaned back and stared at her, her dark eyes searching Emma's face. "Even after what I've –"

Emma interrupted her with a quick kiss against still moving lips. "It's in the past. I trust you and I know you wouldn't hurt me, not if you could avoid it, but I also know that I'm just starting to become a part of your life and that there are things I will learn and issues we're going to have to deal with together from now on. If you want that, I mean."

"I do," Regina whispered, resting her forehead against Emma's.

"Great," Emma answered with a bright smile, pressing a long kiss to Regina's lips before turning and leading them both toward the kitchen.

"I remember you telling me to come hungry and I'm basically starving, so how about some food before the heavy talk."

Regina laughed, a sound that tugged at everything inside of Emma, and nodded.

"That sounds reasonable."

…

Emma leaned back into warm body behind her and took a sip of red wine. The rich flavor coated her tongue and smoothly ran down her throat. She closed her eyes and felt Regina nuzzle against her temple while gentle fingers were running through her hair.

"Alright, so you're saying that you asked this guy, Gold, to find me in Boston and now he wants something in return?" Emma asked.

She was comfortably reclining on the couch in Regina's study, sitting between the brunette's legs and trying to focus on the conversation at hand. So far she wasn't quite sure what exactly Regina was getting at but she was content to listen quietly and ask a few questions now and then.

"Essentially, yes. Gold may seem like he's just a pawnshop owner, but everyone knows that there's much more to him than that. Often Gold can acquire things or procure information no one else could and his price is usually high."

"So you risked owing him only to find me?"

Regina huffed quietly behind her and Emma turned her head to look at her.

"I had to tell you that I did the things I did for a reason. And even though you may have never wanted to see me again I at least had to try. And truly, it was worth it. Any deal with Gold would be worth having you right here."

Regina leaned in and warm lips covered Emma's. A curious tongue snuck past parted lips. Warmth and the taste of red wine made her mind swim for a few seconds and Emma had to tear herself away to continue her previous train of thought.

"Okay… that's… I uh… I'm glad you did, obviously, but I still don't get what any of this has to do with me."

Regina's eyes darkened and Emma turned her upper body to sit sideways on Regina's lap, her arm resting on the back of the couch. She curiously studied the almost angry expression on her face.

"Last week Gold came to call in his favor," Regina said between clenched teeth.

"So, what does he want?" Green eyes widened suddenly. "Oh my god, is it something nasty?"

Emma's entire body tensed and she started getting up from her comfortable position. "I'm going to kill that bastard, I'll just get Graham's gun and then…" She trailed off as Regina's arms wrapped around her and pulled her down again.

A small smirk was curving the corners of her mouth. "I'm very pleased you're willing to defend my honor, albeit with drastic means, but no, he's not asking for anything immoral."

Emma relaxed again and took a deep breath. "Fine, okay, so then what is it?"

"He wants you to find someone for him."

"Uh…that's not what I expected."

"Neither did I," Regina sighed, "because the deal is clearly between him and me, and I find it extremely insulting that he is involving you."

"Well, I am good at finding people, it's what I did for a living after all. It's where I learned how to disappear off the grid."

"You mean it's also the reason why it was pretty much impossible for me to find you without Gold's help?"

"Sort of, yes. But what's the big deal then?"

Regina stared at her. "The big deal?"

Emma half-shrugged. "Yeah, I mean he wants me to find someone? Fine. I'll go do my old job for a little bit and make sure you're no longer indebted to that creep."

"I don't think it's going to be that easy," Regina answered with a furrowed brow.

Emma snuggled back into Regina with a sigh, pulling on Regina's arms with her hands until they were securely wrapped around her. "It's going to be fine. I really thought you were going to drop some huge bomb on me, but I'm sure we'll work it out."

The arms around her tightened. "I really hope so."


	27. When She Saw Her Own Eyes

Regina slid into the booth with grace, tucking her purse against her thigh. Ruby was beside her in the blink of an eye and she ordered her usual coffee.

It didn't take long for Kathryn to open the door of the small diner and spot her in one of the booths. She made her way over to where Regina was smiling at her in welcome.

"I know I'm late, but I had to take care of a little baking emergency at home," Kathryn said as she slid into the booth across from her.

Regina inclined her head. "Don't worry. What happened?"

"Well you know the school's doing this bake sale tomorrow and one of the teachers called to ask if I could help out."

Regina nodded slowly. She'd completely forgotten about the entire thing, but then again she hadn't agreed to make anything for the bake sale either so she could probably get away with not attending just this once.

"Anyways, I'm just going to throw something together tonight," Kathryn continued.

She ordered a coffee when Ruby put the mug down in front of Regina who took a sip of the hot liquid.

Her eyes flickered up to Kathryn who was staring at her expectantly. "So go on, spill."

Regina raised her eyebrows, lowering the mug back to the table. "Excuse me?"

"Emma Swan," Kathryn said, leaning forward, resting her elbows on the table, "she's back in town, got herself a job and rented an apartment down the street. And I had to hear it from Mrs. Stein in the grocery store."

"I wasn't aware that you were so interested in the happenings of Deputy Swan's life," Regina replied evenly.

Kathryn scowled. "I'm interested in what's going with your life Regina, and it seems like Emma has become quite important in it. Come on, I'm your oldest friend and I've never seen you like this. You forgot about the bake sale, didn't you?"

Regina leaned back with a sigh. She sometimes ignored the fact that Kathryn was extremely observant when she wanted to be.

"Well, at least I didn't go through that miserable haunted trail for nothing," Kathryn added after Ruby brought her coffee.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't tell me you don't remember. The day of the fair I took Henry through the haunted trail so you could go fix with Emma whatever needed to be fixed. And it obviously worked out, so that's something at least. I'll have you know that I had nightmares for weeks after."

Regina laughed quietly at the shiver that visibly ran down Kathryn's back. "Thank you for being such a good friend, I appreciate your support."

"You better. Now tell me, what exactly is going on with you and Emma Swan?"

Regina took another sip of coffee, swirling the liquid around her tongue before swallowing. "That is rather private," she began and Kathryn shot her a dark look, "but I suppose it isn't really much of a secret. Emma and I… we're… sort of trying to see where this between us is going."

Kathryn stared at her for several long seconds before she squealed quietly and reached out to grasp Regina's hands with her own. "That's great, fantastic. Regina, I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you."

"So what happened after you left for Florida? I mean after going out of state to get away from Storybrooke and a certain someone's absence, you come back with Emma in tow and now she's here to stay. I need to hear that story."

Regina exhaled quietly and raked a hand through her hair. "Well, it all started with Emma showing up at my doorstep after we'd already left…"

…

Emma squinted at the pages in front of her before glancing at her phone. It was almost time to leave work and return to her apartment.

She groaned quietly and stretched her arms above her head, her shoulders realigning themselves with mild protest. Moving her head from one side to the other, she contemplated the evening ahead of her.

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips when she remembered Regina standing in the door to the station with a greasy bag from Granny's in her hands. She'd actually brought Emma lunch, something that seemed utterly domestic, and would've scared the shit out of her if she wasn't already committed to this. Now she only found it endearing. Unfortunately, Regina had delivered the treat with the message that she would be working late, which meant very late in Regina terms, and wouldn't be able to have dinner with Emma and Henry that night.

The thought of returning to her empty apartment and not Regina's house and good food was quite the downer. And after the day she'd had, she could've used a home-cooked meal and some time to cuddle.

Graham had left before lunch to do some more police work around the house that they'd been to two days ago. So far he'd found a few shoeprints thanks to the battlefield of squished tomatoes left behind but other than that there was hardly any evidence to identify the culprit. Now he was out talking to neighbors and anyone who could've possibly seen anything.

Emma glanced at her phone again, checking the time. She should probably stop by City Hall to talk to Regina. The papers in front of her had arrived in a large envelope a couple of hours earlier with nothing but her name scrawled across the front.

They were documents from Gold, information about the person he wanted her to find and after a first cursory look she deduced that there wasn't much to go on. At all.

Alas she needed to talk to Regina, to keep her in the loop. If there was something they'd promised each other without so many words, it was that they would not be keeping mountainous secrets from one another, never again.

She got up from her desk and stretched again. Grabbing her jacket, she ambled out of the station, deciding to take a little walk through Storybrooke.

…

Her knuckles connected with the heavy wood of Regina's office door and it took all of her inner willpower not to turn around. She could practically feel Aurora's eyes on her back and she was pretty sure that the assistant was still smiling a little strangely. As soon as she'd walked into the outer office, the other woman had grinned at her as if they shared a secret or something. Emma, however, had absolutely no idea why she would be getting such a look from someone she barely knew. She liked Mulan alright, had talked to her about her car a couple of times, but other than that she'd never actually had a real conversation with either of them.

"Come in," the voice from inside the office called and Emma slowly opened the door to slip through.

Regina looked up as soon as she entered and Emma felt a happy little flutter in her chest at the way Regina's features softened immediately and she smiled a tired little smile.

"Emma, what are you doing here?"

"I brought you some more reading material," Emma offered and raised the folder in her hands, "information from Gold."

Regina scowled and got up from her office chair. She gestured toward the leather couch at the right side of the office and Emma walked over, plopping herself into the cushions.

"It was delivered after you left, so I thought I'd stop by and let you look them over too."

Regina sat down gracefully, crossing her legs at the ankles. She was wearing an ocean blue dress with a sipper at the back. Emma had a hard time tearing her eyes away from the sight but somehow she managed to focus on Regina's face long enough to hand her the envelope.

Regina opened it without hesitation and pulled the papers out, brown eyes flicking over the words written there. With every turned page, her frown deepened until she sighed and shuffled everything back into order. "There's absolutely nothing there that would indicate who exactly Gold is trying to find."

Emma half-shrugged. "Yeah, but I guess I have an idea."

Regina looked at her, leaning forward. "You do?"

"I know a guy, back in Boston, who can track down pretty much anyone with even less information than Gold gave me. He owes me one, so maybe I can convince him to help me out."

Regina narrowed her eyes. "That sounds entirely dubious."

"Hey, there's not much to go on here. The only documents Gold apparently has are some old banking arrangements and the name of a hospital, and that coming from someone who managed to track me down means something. I will need some help with this, because even with my skills I can't produce information out of thin air. I'll have that guy in Boston look these things over and see if he can come up with a connection."

Regina sighed quietly and shook her head. She put the folder onto the small glass table in front of them and closed her eyes briefly, squeezing the bridge of her nose with thumb and forefinger. "I truly am sorry that I dragged you into this."

"I wouldn't say it's your fault alone," Emma answered, pulling Regina's hand away from her face and cradling it between her own, "if I hadn't taken off like a chicken without its head, you wouldn't have had to ask for Gold's help in the first place. I could've handled things much better back then."

"I don't think –" Regina began, but Emma interrupted her with a shake of her head.

"Let's not argue about how we got into this mess, let's just take care of it so we can focus on more important things."

Regina smiled at that and turned her hand around so that her fingers entwined with Emma's. "Alright. Thank you for coming over and letting me know what's going on."

"No problem. I told you I'd keep you in the loop."

Regina sighed again and leaned forward to briefly press her lips against Emma's. "I'm sorry to be saying this, but I have to get back to the rest of my paperwork or else I won't get done tonight."

Emma nodded slowly, a little miffed at the shortness of the kiss. "Yeah, I'll just go and…" she trailed off.

"I wanted to ask you if you would mind getting Henry from Kathryn and taking him back to the house?" Regina asked quietly, squeezing Emma's fingers with her own.

"I'd love to."

"You'd have to put him to bed too because I don't think I'll be home in time.

"No problem."

They smiled at each other and Emma wanted nothing more than to burst out into happy giggles. This felt so incredibly perfect – Regina offering her a way out of her lonely evening without her having to say a single word about it.

Regina had told her back in Florida that she always seemed to know what the right thing to say was and it seemed like Regina was the one to do just the right things.

"Then I'll see you tonight?"

"Yes," Regina answered and leaned forward to kiss her again, this time lingering a bit longer.

Emma sighed against Regina's lips, her hand moving of its own accord, cradling Regina's jaw with her hand. God she missed this, and so many other things.

They'd kissed and touched ever since they'd come back from Florida, but there just hadn't been the time or the right moment for more. And god she wanted more. That night at the hotel was playing a leading role in her dreams most nights and even though she was willing to wait, to take the time for everything to be just right, she was getting…itchy.

Before she could get too lost in the kiss, Regina ended it with several short pecks to the corners of her mouth. They were both breathing heavily and Regina looked deliciously rumpled with her face flushed and glistening parted lips.

Emma took a deep breath and got up from the couch a little too abruptly. She straightened her jacket and raked both hands through her hair. "Yeah, right… I'll just go and get Henry… uhm, I'll see you later."

Regina stood as well, smiling brightly. "Yes you will."

Emma nodded and trudged over to the door, albeit a little reluctantly.

"Oh and Emma?"

She turned around to face Regina who was already sitting behind her desk again. "There are some leftovers in the fridge."

Emma grinned. "Thanks."

…

The door opened before she even had the chance to ring the bell. A grinning Kathryn Nolan stood before her and grabbed her arm to drag her into the house.

"Henry's getting his stuff from the kitchen," she explained and Emma nodded slowly.

"Regina called, she said you're gonna spend the evening with Henry. That's really great."

"Uh, yeah."

Emma wasn't entirely sure what else to do but stand awkwardly in Kathryn's foyer until Henry had gathered his things. She was a little confused because people seemed to be genuinely happy about the fact that she was a part of Regina's and Henry's life. It was great, of course, but she hadn't expected that Regina would be inspiring such loyalty from not only her friends but also her employees and the rest of Storybrooke. She'd been warned. It was a small town after all.

Her train of thought was interrupted when Henry bounded into the foyer, backpack slung over his shoulder and jacket hanging half off lf his other arm. "Emma."

She opened her arms automatically as he fitted himself against her front for a brief but tight hug. "Hey kid, ready to head home?"

"Yup."

She said goodbye to a cheerily waving Kathryn and drove Henry back to the house on Mifflin Street.

Dinner was a quick affair, the leftovers from the fridge almost as good as Regina's usual cooking. Soon after they'd settled on the couch and watched some kid-friendly movie Henry had picked before going to bed. He snuggled into her side and Emma wrapped an arm around his small shoulders.

"Hey Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you like it here?"

"Absolutely, Storybrooke's a great place, I honestly wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"Cool. But I meant, like, here. This house."

"Huh?"

Emma looked over at Henry and he met her eyes with an innocent expression. "Are you gonna move in with us at some point?"

"I…uh… well, that's quite a big decision and there would be lots of talking before that. Would you like me to move in?" Emma asked slowly.

Henry blinked sleepily at her. "Of course." He yawned and dropped his head against her shoulder, eyes back on the TV screen.

Emma took a quiet breath, staring at the dark room with unfocused eyes. Was that really a possibility? Could she move in with Regina? She'd always needed her own space, somewhere she could be alone, to recharge.

But even now, after having returned to Storybrooke for mere weeks, she felt miserable having to stay at her small apartment instead of spending the evening with Regina and Henry.

Henry's breathing had evened out and he was softly snoring against her. She smiled at his peaceful features and raked a hand through his tussled brown hair.

"I love you so much," she whispered, pressing her lips to his forehead.


End file.
